Israel Adesanya’s manager, Tim Simpson, tells TMZ Sports … “Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage. When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities. He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed and he is on his way home.”
Israel Adesanya was arrested Wednesday afternoon for criminal possession of a weapon at JFK airport in NYC, TMZ Sports has learned … after the UFC superstar was allegedly busted while going through security with metal knuckles.
The arrest was made by the Port Authority Police Department near the TSA screening area … near the American Airlines terminal around 1:57 PM.
Brass knuckles are illegal (class A misdemeanor) in the state of New York. It’s also illegal to carry them on your person or in your carry-on bag. It’s unclear where the alleged brass knuckles were stored.
It’s unclear if cops will issue Adesanya a Desk Appearance Ticket … or if he’ll remain in custody.
Of course, Adesanya isn’t from the U.S. … he lives in New Zealand. Izzy, despite losing his belt to rival Alex Pereira during the main event at UFC 281 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, is one of the best and most popular UFC fighters in the entire world.
Saturday’s loss was just the 2nd in his MMA career.
If ultimately charged and convicted, Adesanya could face up to one year in jail, plus fines.
Unfortunately, Adesanya’s offseason has gotten off to a bit of a rough start. According to TMZ, Adesanya has been arrested at JFK airport in New York City. At the time of writing this, he is still in custody with the Port Authority Police Department.
As the report indicates, Adesanya was found with brass knuckles. The UFC superstar was attempting to bring them through security. In New York, brass knucks are very illegal. Consequently, being caught with them can lead to a criminal possession of a weapon charge.
Additionally, it is illegal to go through TSA with brass knuckles on you, whether it be in your carry-on bag or on your person. This means more charges could potentially be on the way. Regardless, this is an unfortunate situation as it seems to be more of an oversight on Adesanya’s part, than anything else.
As TMZ reported, the penalty for these charges is one year in prison and a fine. At this point, it is simply too early to tell what may happen here. In the coming hours, it is likely that Adesanya will be freed from custody. Subsequently, authorities will take over via the necessary avenues.
This is till a developing story, so stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest news and updates.
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