On December 12, 2016, at approximately 9:37 a.m. police were contacted by airport security officials at the Regina International Airport for the report of a suspicious item at airport screening. The object, discovered through the normal pre-boarding, passenger screening process, raised the suspicions of security staff. An on-duty police member, with explosives disposal training, who was at the airport on an unrelated matter, concurred with the assessment that the device posed a potential public safety threat. Staff enacted standard procedures for this situation and, among other actions, called 9-1-1. The owner of the suspicious object was detained for further investigation. The second floor screening area and nearby areas of the airport were evacuated and all people were moved to a safe distance. Vehicle traffic to the airport was rerouted temporarily.
The Regina Police Service Explosives Disposal Unit (EDU) attended to the scene. The risk assessment by the EDU determined that the object should be transported safely away from the airport. Members of the EDU donned protective equipment and transported the item to a remote site for further investigation. It was at that point that investigators were able to determine the object was not an explosive device. The owner of the item, a 49 year-old female, does not face criminal charges. All safety protocols in this incident were effective and executed correctly; police and other officials acted within their authorities. Thankfully, the incident was resolved as quickly as possible and no one was harmed.