NEW YORK - The customs area of Terminal 4 at New York's JFK airport was briefly evacuated Thursday after a grenade was found in a traveler's bag.

The alert was lifted in the late afternoon, according to Port Authority.

Port Authority spokesman said the passenger, who had flown in from Tel Aviv via Moscow, told authorities that the grenade was inert.

Police gave the all-clear after finding that the suspicious item was a paperweight.