Toronto island airport: Suspicious device found has been disarmed, authorities say. 2 people are in custody
CNN
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Two people were arrested after authorities located and subsequently disarmed a probable explosive device at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airportpolice said.
At around 4 p.m. Saturday, a device was found on a bicycle parked near the airport’s island ferry terminal, according to the airport’s social media account. Located on an island along Lake Ontario near downtown Toronto, the airport is largely reached by ferry or pedestrian tunnel.
The airport said the ferry terminal and tunnel were closed “out of an abundance of caution”, as the bike was removed by police. Passengers at the terminal were subsequently evacuated and two Air Canada flights were diverted to nearby Hamilton, according to the airport.
According to the Toronto Police Operations Center, when police dealt with “a potential explosive device,” at least two buildings near the airport were evacuated and several side streets closed.
Toronto police said a controlled explosion was then conducted that evening.
“The device has been disarmed and the Toronto Police Department has concluded its investigation and released the site,” the airport said in a statement.
Toronto police say two “interested persons” are in custody. Authorities have not released any additional details about the type of device found.
Airport operations and flights will resume Sunday morning, according to the airport. Billy Bishop Airport is about 10 miles southeast of the city’s busiest airport, Toronto Pearson International (YYZ).