WARWICK, R.I. (AP) -- Police at Rhode Island's T.F. Green Airport say a domestic dispute was somehow behind an incident in which gun components and ammunition were found hidden inside a child's stuffed animals.

Federal transportation officials say the 4-year-old boy and his father were traveling to Detroit Monday when a Transportation Security Administration officer noticed the disassembled .40-calilber gun concealed within the toys.

Authorities allowed the man and his son to continue their travels after concluding he posed no threat. The unnamed man told police he didn't know the components were inside the toys.

Airport Police Chief Leo Messier says Tuesday the incident "appears to be the result of a domestic dispute." Officials declined to comment further.

The incident remains under investigation by police and the FBI.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Federal transportation officials said Tuesday they found gun components and ammunition hidden inside stuffed animals - including a Mickey Mouse - carried by a passenger at Rhode Island's T.F. Green Airport on Monday, and that the incident was related to a domestic disagreement.

Authorities later allowed the man and his 4-year-old son to continue their travel to Detroit, according to airport police. The man told police that he didn't know the parts were inside the stuffed toys.

"It appears to be the result of a domestic dispute," Rhode Island Airport Police Chief Leo Messier said in a statement. "It was jointly investigated by the RI Airport Police, FBI and the RI State Police and it was determined that there was no threat at any time to air safety."

Officials with airport police and the Transportation Security Administration declined to comment further, saying the incident remained under investigation.

The man and his son were headed to Detroit when a TSA officer noticed the disassembled gun components "artfully concealed" inside three stuffed animals. The stuffed animals, including a teddy bear and a rabbit, were inside the child's carry-on bag, which had been put through an X-ray machine as part of normal security screening.

Authorities said a .40-caliber gun was found inside one animal, while a magazine loaded with two .40-caliber rounds and a firing pin were found inside a second animal. Another part of a gun known as a slide was found inside the third animal.

The parts could have been assembled to make a full firearm, authorities said.

The items were confiscated. Police have not released the man's name.