Canada’s air screeners told to show discretion on threats

OTTAWA — Air travelers in Canada who make comments about bombs and guns will be arrested only if it is clear they are making serious threats, officials said Wednesday.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, trying to clamp down on screeners who alert police every time they hear alarming words, issued a bulletin urging staff to show more discretion.

A person who announces, for instance, that “you’d better look through my suitcase carefully because there’s a bomb in there,” will still be arrested, the agency said.

But someone who remarks that “your hockey team is going to get bombed [badly beaten] tonight,” or “you don’t need to frisk me; I’m not carrying a weapon” will first be warned about their behavior.

Agency spokeswoman Brigitte Caron compared the new system to handing out yellow warning cards in soccer matches: A player can receive one yellow card and stay in the game.

“Sometimes it’s just a joke, and the person will say, ‘I’m sorry; I was upset,’ ” she said. In recent years more than 100 passengers have been arrested for making threatening remarks in Canadian airports, she added.