US embassy cable - 04MONTREAL252

UNCLAS MONTREAL 000252 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/ES-O, WHA/CAN AND CA/OCS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
E.0. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, ASEC, CASC, CA, Transportation 
SUBJECT: FLIGHTS GROUNDED A SECOND TIME IN THREE DAYS AT 
PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU AIRPORT; BUT DOMESTIC FLIGHTS ONLY 
 
REF: MONTREAL 0233 
 
1.   SUMMARY.  DOMESTIC OUTBOUND FLIGHTS WERE GROUNDED, 
DELAYED OR RECALLED TO PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU AIRPORT (AKA 
DORVAL AIRPORT) FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE DAYS. THE 
INCIDENT THAT PROMPTED THE SEALING OF THE JETTY OCCURRED AT 
APPROXIMATELY 9:05AM ON SATURDAY (FEB. 14) AND LASTED ABOUT 
FIVE HOURS.  NORMAL OPERATIONS DIDN'T RESUME UNTIL CLOSE TO 
2:00PM. UNLIKE REFTEL INCIDENT (FEB.11), ACCORDING TO A 
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) SUPERVISOR, U.S.-BOUND 
FLIGHTS (FEB. 14) WERE NOT DISRUPTED.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.   A PISTOL-SHAPED CIGARETTE LIGHTER DISRUPTED DOMESTIC 
FLIGHTS (2/14) AT DORVAL AIRPORT.  A CANADIAN AIR TRANSPORT 
SAFETY AUTHORITY (CATSA) AGENT REPORTED HAVING SPOTTED ON 
THE X-RAY OF A CARRYON BAG AN OBJECT RESSEMBLING A PISTOL. 
REPORTEDLY, BY THE TIME THE CATSA AGENT CHECKING BAGS WAS 
ADVISED BY ANOTHER AGENT WHAT HAD BEEN SEEN ON THE X-RAY, 
THE BAG AND ITS OWNER HAD DISAPPEARED INTO THE DOMESTIC 
TERMINAL.  CONSEQUENTLY, AN ALARM WAS SOUNDED AND THE JETTY 
SEALED. 
 
3.  THE OWNER OF THE BAG, A 35-YEAR OLD WOMAN BOUND FOR 
CUBA, ALLEGED SHE WASN'T AWARE THAT THE OBJECT IN HER 
CARRYON BAG WAS ILLEGAL. 
 
4.  WHILE REFTEL SECURITY BREACH OF TWO DAYS PRIOR RECEIVED 
MINIMAL PRESS ATTENTION, THE LATEST INCIDENT MADE THE FRONT- 
PAGE OF THE FRENCH-LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS, 
LA PRESSE AND THE MONTREAL GAZETTE, RESPECTIVELY.  LA PRESSE 
CITED A STATEMENT FROM A CATSA AGENT ABOUT MINIMAL TRAINING 
NEW CATSA AGENTS RECEIVED PRIOR TO ASSUMPTION OF BAGGAGE 
SCREENING ROLES LAST YEAR.  LA PRESSE ALSO REPORTED THE 
CATSA AGENT MISSED THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER BECAUSE OF BEING 
DISTRACTED BY A PAIR OF SCISSORS IN ANOTHER BAG.  A DHS 
SUPERVISOR, BRIEFED BY AIRPORT SECURITY, DISCUSSED THE 
INCIDENT WITH POST'S CONSUL GENERAL.  HE CONFIRMED THAT THE 
PISTOL-SHAPED CIGARETTE LIGHTER CAUSED THE ALARM, BUT WAS 
UNABLE TO CONFIRM THE REPORT ABOUT WHAT HAD DISTRACTED THE 
CATSA AGENT. 
 
5. IN THE END, 45 FLIGHTS WERE DELAYED, SOME 400 PASSENGERS 
AND THEIR LUGGAGE WERE RESTERILIZED (RESCREENED) AND 
DOMESTIC OPERATIONS WERE DISRUPTED FOR APPROXIMATELY FIVE 
HOURS. 
ALLEN