An Israeli caught with a weapon and ammunition in his luggage at Gudja airport was “a trustworthy police officer”, according to police.

The unnamed man, 40, was questioned by the police on Thursday night and then allowed to board his Air Malta flight to Tel Aviv hours later.

Police said the man “looked surprised” when airport security staff made the discovery after a routine baggage check at 11.20pm.

He told police the weapon, a tear gas pistol, and an ammunition magazine with 11 rounds were not his and must have been planted in his luggage while it was being stored at a St Julian’s hotel.

He was deemed to be trustworthy after an investigation “with Israeli authorities”, the police said in a detailed statement. They did not elaborate how they established the man’s trustworthiness.

According to the police, the man was in Malta for a five-day holiday with his family and was returning home.

The passenger was escorted back to the airport, where he boarded the same flight to his home country

As a result of the discovery, flight KM7828 was delayed for several hours as security personnel checked passengers and luggage all over again.

The flight left at 4.50am on Friday, arriving in Israel at 7.28am with the man and his family on board.

The police said the pistol and ammunition were found in an “unlocked pocket” on the outside of the luggage and a steak knife was found in a locked compartment.

The man said the knife was his sister’s, who was also on board the flight.

Believing his version of events, the police said they confirmed the hotel luggage room where the weapon and ammunition was allegedly planted was accessible to all.

The Israeli claimed that he left the baggage in the hotel’s luggage room at noon and picked it up at 9.30pm.

By the time of going to print, the police had still not answered a number of questions on the case, including whether the hotel was investigated, on what basis did they decide the man was trustworthy, whether his itinerary in Malta was ascertained and who ordered his release from custody.

“Following discussions with the Israeli authorities, the passenger was escorted back to the airport, where he boarded the same flight to his home country,” the police statement said.

The pistol and ammunition were retained by the police, who confirmed the weapon was used to fire tear gas and was not compatible with the magazine found.

Passengers were never in any danger

Even though the man was allowed to leave, the police said Maltese and Israeli authorities were jointly investigating the case.

“The plane’s passengers were never in any danger because the luggage containing the items in question was being loaded into the aircraft’s cargo hold,” police said.

Industry sources, however, explained rules set by the International Air Transport Association classified ammunition as a Class 1 hazard, deemed to be the highest form of danger for aeroplanes because of the explosive risk.

Ammunition, even in limited quantities such as the amount found, was many times not accepted for transport on passenger planes and had to be packaged accordingly, the sources said.