Man arrested in connection with Victoria airport incident released pending court date

The man who brought bags and items into Victoria International Airport Tuesday that forced the facility to be closed to commercial flights has now been released from custody.

Sidney/North Saanich RCMP said no further details are being released at this time but the man was released with an upcoming court date.

Officers were first called to Victoria International Airport Tuesday afternoon after employees said they discovered a checked bag with suspicious-looking items located at the departure check-in.

“When the bag was examined through the typical scanning process, a Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) employee became concerned as it appeared to contain suspicious-looking items,” police said in a release.

“Two of those items appeared as incendiary devices.”

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Police said explosive disposal experts were called in and a second bag also belonging to the same man was found. This bag could not be safely scanned or examined, police said.

Members of the RCMP Explosives Disposal Unit (EDU) were requested and they arrived at the scene to provide their specialized expertise, police added.  They removed and examined the bags and quickly determined the items to be inert military surplus explosives.

The airport re-opened around 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“The RCMP is reminding travellers to confirm the items you are travelling with are permitted on aircraft or that you have prior permission to travel with certain items,” said Cpl. Andres Sanchez, media liaison officer with the Sidney North Saanich RCMP.