Shutterstock
Passengers on a flight to Chicago got quite the right when a mock explosive device was discovered in a suitcase at a Toronto airport Thursday, investigators said.
What Happened?
Airport crews found the fake improvised explosive device (IED) during a pre-clearance inspection at Pearson International Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. The discovery delayed the travel for hours for the unlucky passengers.
The device was found in a suitcase of a U.S. traveler on United Airlines Flight 547 intended for Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The flight was scheduled to leave 7:00 A.M. ET Thursday, according to the airline’s website.
Authorities issued an alert about a “possible security breach” on Twitter as airport security began to examine the device for potentially explosive material. They did not find anything.
.Re: breach investigation at Pearson Airport, the flight has been cleared there is no threat, investigation is ongoing by Peel Police.
— Peel Regional Police (@PeelPolice) April 6, 2017
All passengers and luggage were taken off the flight as police continued to search and investigate. The fear was there might be a second explosive device, though none were found.
“For the safety of travelers within the Preclearance Facility (PCF), CBP stopped stopped all traveler processing while the mock IED was tested,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
One traveler took to Twitter to explain that he had been waiting four hours just to exit the plane to go into an “isolation room.”
After 4 hrs waiting on flight getting ready to deplane in the rear to bus to take us to isolation area. pic.twitter.com/XmQHyqOsvN
— Dal Gemmell (@jdgemm) April 6, 2017
The unidentified American man, 58, was arrested and charged with mischief, The Star reported. He is scheduled to appear in court in Brampton, Ontario, on Friday.
Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport, officially named Lester B. Pearson International Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the greater Toronto area. It is owned by Transport Canada and serves 44,335,198 passengers and 456,536 aircraft movements.
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m8!1m3!1d11542.317400206912!2d-79.6248197!3d43.6777176!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x0%3A0xb41d5de9c4030ec5!2sToronto+Pearson+International+Airport!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1491508554273&w=750&h=400]
