Sask. international student alleges airport security negligence over 'suspicious' luggage

Hugo Campos is still trying to get home to Ecuador weeks after a security incident at the Saskatoon airport caused him to miss his flight.

Campos is a computer science student at the University of Saskatchewan and has travelled many times with his computer tower, monitor and keyboard on planes. But a typical security screening for his oversize luggage on December 17 went wrong.

“I was pretty stressed. I’m prone to panic attacks and things related to that,” Campos said.

After his items were screened and cleared for the first time, the situation escalated when his luggage broke.

“The guy that was working there first treated my bag pretty roughly and the zipper got destroyed. I couldn’t close the bag anymore,” Campos told CTV News.

He says his brother-in-law’s parents quickly came and brought him a new suitcase. Campos says during this time a new security guard took over, wanting to screen his luggage again.

“This person barely looked at me. He didn’t want to talk to me at all and it took around 30 minutes that they were talking to each other and I asked them to hurry up because I had a flight to catch,” Campos said.

Campos says he overheard the officers calling his bag 'suspicious’ and questioning his computer. He says he acted cooperatively, telling security officers he was willing to show them his items but they refused, telling him he wasn’t allowed to touch his bag.

“The worry started shifting from losing my flight to losing my bag because they wouldn’t really give me my bag back,” he said.

Eventually, the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) was called to respond to a report of a “suspicious package” located in the traveller's luggage.

SPS told CTV News by email “in the interest of public safety the immediate area was evacuated and under the lawful authority the man was detained pending further investigation.”

Police say following the examination of the package by both a police service dog and the SPS Explosive Disposal Unit, it was confirmed to be negative for explosives. Campos was released without charges shortly after.

“Such occurrences are highly sensitive and require a commitment of both time and attention to detail to appropriately investigate,” SPS said by email.

Campos said he was left in the police cruiser for hours without any proper winter wear since he was travelling to Ecuador. The situation left him shaken and frustrated.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) says its role is to identify and investigate potential threats to aviation security.

“Protocol includes requesting police assistance in certain situations. For security reasons we do not discuss specific procedures,” CATSA told CTV News by email.

According to CATSA’s website, computers including desktops and monitors are allowed as carry-on and checked baggage.

“Before travelling, I was 100 per cent sure everything in the computer was proper because I buit that computer myself,” Campos said.

Due to being held, Campos missed his flight and the holidays with his family in Ecuador. His computer has also been blacklisted from being transported at the airport. He’s also working to get a refund from the airline and potentially take legal action.