Suspicious Device Disarmed at Toronto Airport; 2 are in custody

Two people were detained after authorities located and later disarmed a possible explosive device at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, police said.

At around 4 pm on Saturday (local time), a device was found on a bicycle parked near the airport’s ferry terminal, according to the airport’s social media account. Located on an island along Lake Ontario near downtown Toronto, the airport is widely accessed by ferry or pedestrian tunnel.

The ferry terminal and tunnel were closed “very cautiously”, the airport said, as the bike was removed by police. Terminal passengers were later evacuated and two Air Canada flights were diverted to nearby Hamilton, according to the airport.

October 22: The device has been disarmed and Toronto Police Services has concluded their investigation and released the site. The runway has re-opened and operations/flights will resume at YTZ at 6:45am.

— Billy Bishop Airport (@BBishopAirport) October 23, 2022

As police dealt with “a potential explosive device,” according to the Toronto Police Operations Center, at least two buildings near the airport were evacuated and several side streets were closed.

A controlled blast was carried out later that night, Toronto police said.

“The device has been disarmed and the Toronto Police Services have completed their investigation and released the location,” the airport said.

Two “persons of interest” are in custody, Toronto police said. Authorities did not release additional details about the type of device found.

Airport operations and flights are expected to 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).