04/17/2012

Port of Portland police say a traveler at PDX took off far more than his shoes and belt while going through airport security.

John Brennan, 50, was arrested shortly after 5:30
p.m. Tuesday after TSA agents say he took off all his clothes and
refused to put them back on while passing through the ABC checkpoint.

Police
say Brennan was scheduled to fly to San Jose, CA, on Alaska Airlines.
Instead, he was taken to jail on charges of disorderly conduct and
indecent exposure.

Investigators say neither drugs nor alcohol
were involved in the incident. Instead, Brennan told officers he got
naked to protest TSA screeners, who he felt had been harassing him.

Witness Brian Reilly snapped a picture after hearing the exchange between the man and TSA agents.

"I heard 'Stop the line, stop the line,' and I looked up and there was this man completely nude," said Reilly.

"He got pulled aside for extra security measures," described Reilly. "He was clearly protesting it."

Reilly said he overheard the man saying, "Do I have anything illegal? Am I good to go through now?"

TSA
agents and police said they asked Brennan numerous times to put his
clothes back on, but he refused, according to a spokesman.

"While
some passengers covered their eyes and their children's eyes and moved
away from the screening area, others stepped out of the screening lanes
to look, laugh and take photos of Mr. Brennan," according to a Port of
Portland police report.

TSA released a statement saying, "TSA
partners with the traveling public to screen all passengers safely and
efficiently. When a passenger chooses to be purposefully disruptive, we
notify law enforcement. "