Authorities are trying to figure out who, how, and why, after a contractor running cable through JFK's Terminal One discovered a Mac-11 subcompact machine gun hidden in the ceiling of an unsecured maintenance closet this week.

The Mac-11 is capable of discharging 32 rounds in less than two seconds.

The gun was stored in a dusty box and had no ammunition. According to reports, Port Authority police are apparently "not even slightly" concerned that the gun could be part of a plot. Although the closet is located in an "office which is locked and accessible only to a few people," according to a Port Authority statement, it is located outside the terminal's secure area.

While authorities are questioning JFK employees, the Daily News reported that the office where the gun was discovered hasn't been upgraded or renovated since the late 1990s and the gun could have been there for years.

[image via AP]