PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
A Portland man who was fed up with TSA agents and stripped off all his clothes in an airport security line said he felt like security workers went too far.
John Brennan, 50, stripped down shortly after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Port of Portland police soon moved in and arrested him on charges of disorderly conduct and indecent exposure.
The disorderly conduct charge was dropped, but he still faces a misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
"I have no shame about what I did," Brennan said a day after the picture of his naked protest made international headlines.
Cameras followed him back to PDX Wednesday evening as he returned to the airport to pick up the bags and belongings he had to leave behind following his arrest.
Brennan said he took off all of his clothes while at the ABC Security Checkpoint, after TSA agents told him they found traces of nitrate on his clothing.
"When they said I
tested positive for explosives, I said 'That's it. I'm not carrying a bomb, and
you need to know it."
TSA agents and police said they asked Brennan numerous times to put his clothes back on, but he refused, according to a spokesman.
"They wanted me to put my clothes on. Feeling I was within my rights as an Oregon citizen, I refused," he said.
Prior to stripping off his clothes, Brennan said he walked through a metal detector and was patted down. Security workers then put the gloves used to pat him down through a machine, he said.
Brennan says he understands TSA agents were doing their jobs but believes security screening measures have gone too far.
"The system is
broken. The balance between our liberties and security in the sky is out of
balance," said Brennan.
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 Brennan saying, "Do I have anything illegal? Am I good to go through now?"
A Port of Portland police report said: "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."
"Only in Portland would this happen," said traveler Katie Cox, who disagreed with the form of protest.
" I just think
stripping down in public is inappropriate," she said.
In a statement, TSA officials said they are "assessing the incident, however a passenger could be subject to a civil penalty for interfering with the screening process for a maximum amount of up to $11,000."
Brennan feels the TSA pat-downs are a violation of his privacy.
"The takeaway I want (from this) is for Americans to have their liberties while balancing the need for safety," he said.
RAW VIDEO: 'I took off my clothes and said, 'I don't have a bomb''
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