MINNEAPOLIS — A checked bag containing PVC pipes and several wires prompted authorities to briefly clear out a Minneapolis airport terminal Friday, and its owner told police it was the second time in three years his device had forced an airport evacuation, an official said.

The evacuation came after screeners at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport’s Humphrey terminal spotted the items in a bag about 5:30 a.m. Humphrey, which handles less than 10 percent of the airport’s passenger volume, was cleared of several hundred people and inbound auto traffic was stopped.

A bomb squad was called to search the bag. Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan said the capped pipes contained a granular material, but nothing in it was explosive and the wires turned out to be unrelated to the device.

The man was questioned by police before being released about 8:45 a.m., Hogan said. No criminal charges were planned.

“We don’t have any reason not to believe it was a water filtration device,” he said.