TORONTO — A 58-year-old American man was charged Thursday after a security breach at Canada’s busiest airport that caused lengthy delays for a group of passengers.
Peel Regional Police Const. Mark Fischer said the incident took place at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport and involved a United Airlines flight bound for Chicago.
Fischer said officials found what they believed to be an improvised explosive device in the man’s suitcase.
Police said tests determined the device was not explosive, but passengers spent hours waiting to continue with their flight.
Police said Joseph Galaska is charged with one count of mischief and was being held for a bail hearing at a Brampton, Ont., court.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Thursday afternoon that Transport Canada will be looking into the incident.
“We need to get to the bottom of this situation and that’s what our Transport Canada inquiry is going to do,” Garneau said in Ottawa. “We take security at our airports extremely seriously.”
Passengers on the flight complained of the lengthy delays, saying they sat for four hours on the tarmac before being offloaded to an “isolation area” where they spent an additional several hours.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which oversees the running of the airport, said the incident aboard the United airlines flight did not impact other airport operations.
The Canadian Press
