Bag containing inert hand grenades shut down Victoria airport
Victoria International Airport reopened late Tuesday after commercial flights were cancelled for much of the day following the discovery of a pair of inert hand grenades and other surplus military gear in a passenger's luggage.
Police are pursuing a charge of mischief against the airline passenger, who has been released from police custody while the investigation continues.
The airport was closed and all commercial flights were cancelled around 1:30 p.m. after baggage scanners saw what appeared to be a pair of hand grenades inside a bag in the airport X-ray machine, RCMP Cpl. Andy Sanchez said Wednesday.
Another bag belonging to the same passenger was discovered in the departures area. Sanchez said that bag could not be scanned so the decision was made to call in the RCMP bomb disposal unit from the Lower Mainland.
Travellers were asked to avoid the airport for several hours while the bomb disposal unit was en route.
At around 8 p.m., the airport issued an update saying the disruption was over and the airport had reopened.
"The call for service is confirmed to have been an incendiary item and inert surplus military supplies contained in checked baggage," the airport statement said.
"We don’t normally see grenades or incendiary devices come through [the airport]," Sanchez said Wednesday. "At this stage police are going to be investigating a charge of mischief."
The RCMP spokesperson said the traveller is not known to police.
Airport operations were expected to return to normal Wednesday, though lingering delays are expected due to the volume of flights that were cancelled and rerouted Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.