Man says he was 'accused of being a terrorist' after laser hair removal device shut down Victorian airport

A young man trying to board a flight to Sydney with a packet of hot chocolate and a laser hair removal device brought an airport near Melbourne to a standstill today.

Victoria's bomb squad unit was called to the scene and the passenger was detained after security flagged a "suspicious" item in his luggage just before 6am at Avalon Airport.

The man told 9News he was about to board his flight when one of his bags triggered an evacuation inside the domestic terminal.

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He followed the rest of his fellow passengers outside before police approached him.

The man was taken into custody until police identified the objects inside his bag: a laser hair removal device and some powdered hot chocolate.

"I didn't have a list, I wouldn't say I'm that well planned... so I was like, 'Oh there's clothes, and like this hair removal device," he told 9News.

"You're being accused of being a terrorist, so that's a pretty big deal."

Once security cleared his luggage, he was free to catch a later flight to Sydney.

Passengers were let back into the terminal about five hours after the items were flagged.

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Victoria Police Acting Inspector Nick Uebergang said there was no criminal offence.

He previously claimed the man who owned the bag "wasn't too cooperative" at the beginning.

"It made things difficult, we could have averted things and got out of here a lot quicker," Uebergang said.

"It probably took a little while for that to get into him about cooperating and giving us a better understanding of what was in the bag."

Uebergang praised the airport's security team for bringing the package to police attention.

"[We] want security to take these measures," he added.

Avalon Airport also thanked police for how they responded to the incident.

"Today's response demonstrates the vigilance of the screening and security processes, with precautionary measures taken immediately to ensure the safety of passengers, staff and the broader community, which will always remain our highest priority," the airport said.

The incident caused delays at Victoria's second-biggest airport, which is located around 50 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD.

Delays were longer than usual after passengers returned to the terminal because of a damaged X-ray machine.

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"At this stage, passengers are being advised that, due to safety precautions, delays are expected to the Brisbane flight this morning," police said earlier.

"The building has been evacuated and area cordoned off as a precaution while the investigation is ongoing."

Images from the scene showed cars backed up outside the airport, while security vehicles blocked entrances.

9News was told passengers landing this morning from a flight in Bali were escorted off the plane and into a holding area.

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