A New Jersey man has been arrested for allegedly planting an improvised explosive device at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Wednesday evening.

Arsenio Mason, 39, of Jersey City, has been charged with reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon, possession of burglary tools and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The incident began unfolding shortly after 5pm when Port Authority Police got a report about an unattended suitcase that was spotted inside a busy deli in the terminal.

'Explosive' case: Arsenio Mason, 39, pictured left after his arrest and right in court, is accused of planting a suitcase containing a 'flashbang' grenade at the Port Authority Bus Terminal

Transportation hub: The suitcase was left inside this deli on the main concourse of the terminal at around 5pm on Wednesday

Following an inspection of the suspicious item by a bomb-sniffing K-9 dog, police officers opened the luggage to discover a 'flashbang' grenade, a knife, bolt cutters and screwdrivers.

Investigators then reviewed CCTV footage from inside the terminal to determine who dropped off the suitcase in Deli Plus located on the main concourse.

The video eventually led police to Arsenio Mason, who returned to the bus terminal at around 8pm asking about his suitcase.

When questioned by police, the Jersey City resident said he had a bus ticket and was headed to Seattle, reported the New York Daily News.

Mason was allegedly found to be in possession of a glass pipe used to smoke methamphetamine.

The NYPD Bomb Squad removed the homemade explosive device to a facility in The Bronx for further testing, which revealed that the parts inside the suitcase included a fuse assembly, a cardboard tube and black flash powder.

When police opened the bag, they found inside 'flashbang' grenade, a knife, bolt cutters and screwdrivers

Mason, pictured in court on Thursday, has been charged with reckless endangerment, possession of a weapon, possession of burglary tools and possession of a controlled substance. He was remanded to jail because he is a fugitive from California

Criminal history: Mason has been arrested 29 times in California, Oregon, Washington state and Alaska

Police later stated that the device was a stun grenade refill cartridge without the explosive powder.

It has since emerged the suspect in the case has a long criminal history spanning four states.

Law enforcement sources say that Mason has been arrested 29 times in California, Oregon, Washington state and Alaska on a variety of charges, including methamphetamine possession; assault; theft; possession of stolen property and harassment.

During his initial court appearance on Thursday, a judge set Mason's bail at $500,000 but then ordered him automatically remanded to jail because he has a fugitive status in California.

The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the largest in the US and the busiest in the world by volume of traffic, handling 8,000 buses and 225,000 people per day, and more than 65million people a year.