A Saanich Peninsula man was arrested and has an upcoming court date, RCMP say.
A Saanich Peninsula resident has been released from police custody with an upcoming court date after inactive hand grenades were discovered in his luggage at Victoria International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, resulting in cancellation of multiple flights over a six-hour period.
After the suspicious contents were discovered by airport security’s X-ray machines scanning a bag shortly after 1:30 p.m., security called in Sidney-North Saanich RCMP, who took the bag’s owner into custody and closed off a portion of the airport.
Members of the Lower Mainland-based RCMP explosive disposal unit performed a virtual assessment and determined the bag contained “inert military surplus explosives.” The explosives team recommended the radius that needed to be cleared and locked down to keep travellers safe.
But shortly after, a second bag belonging to the man was located. Since police were unable to determine the contents of that bag without specialized experts at the scene, the departures wing was cleared and passengers moved farther away from the man’s luggage.
RCMP said the owner of the luggage is not known to police and has “no significant criminal history.” The man was travelling out of the country.
No threats were made, said Cpl. Andres Sanchez, spokesperson for Sidney-North Saanich RCMP, adding: “I can’t speak to why this individual thought that was an appropriate thing to bring on an airplane.”
Asked why the RCMP relies on an explosives team based on the Lower Mainland to deal with Island calls, Sgt. Janelle Shoihet, RCMP senior media relations officer, said the explosive disposal unit requires specialized skills and tools, so it’s cheaper to simply deploy teams to areas where they’re required.
The explosives team will travel to calls by plane, helicopter or ferry, depending on the nature of the threat, Shoihet said. But the first step is always a…