A Toronto-bound passenger was arrested at Winnipeg’s James Armstrong Richardson International Airport after an unloaded gun was found inside a garment bag at pre-boarding screening on Monday.
The suspect attempted to clear the firearm through domestic screening to bring on the plane as carry-on luggage before his flight to Toronto, RCMP said in a media release issued Wednesday. Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) screening officers managed to locate the weapon within the garment bag and called RCMP officers stationed at the airport.
The firearm wasn’t loaded and the man didn’t have any ammunition on him, the release said. The weapon was seized by RCMP and the suspect was arrested.
Mohammad Peyawary, 35, has been charged with numerous offences including, possession of a restricted firearm, unlawful transport of an unsecured restricted firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a firearm for a purpose dangerous to public peace. He remained in custody as of Wednesday.
None of the allegations have been tested in court.
The RCMP Winnipeg Airport Detachment and the RCMP National Weapons Enforcement Support Team are continuing to investigate the incident.
