Suspicious airport item art, not a bomb

NEWS/ POLICE — A suspicious item found at Kamloops Airport today (Thursday) turned out to be art work, not a bomb.

RCMP were contacted by airport security at 5 p.m. about a report of a suspicious, pipe-style item. Airport security moved passengers out of the arrival area where the package was found. The item was in the baggage claim area and was tube shaped with tape on each end. There were no identifying marks on the item and nobody was seen handling it.

B.C. ambulance service and Kamloops Fire and Rescue were called to the scene to assist, as all agencies worked with Kamloops Airport authorities to manage the incident.

RCMP called out a bomb canine unit to travel to Kamloops, but before it arrived the item was found to not be an explosive.

“A senior officer attended the scene and, upon closer examination, was able to determine that the item was not under any pressure and did not have anything suspicious attached to it,” said Cpl. Cheryl Bush.

The item was retrieved and found to contain rolled up art work, and the airport resumed normal operations shortly after 6 p.m.

“The RCMP would like to express their appreciation to the public, who were affected by this event, for their patience and cooperation in the interest of keeping everyone safe ” Bush said.

In other police news, a stabbing was reported just before 1 p.m. The victim was reportedly walking on Fort Street when he was stabbed during an altercation with a male who was trying to steal his backpack.

The male victim has been transported to Royal Inland Hospital with a stab wound; no further information on his condition is known at this time.