Civil Liberties

Canada Gets SWAT-Mania: Troubled Man Removed From Plane by Tactical Team (and Fighter Jets)

"A little bit out of hand," says security expert.

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Before the flight 772 passengers boarded another plane in Toronto earlier Friday, one woman said the entire experience was frightening.

"I was in the washroom and when I was trying to come out, the SWAT team shut the door on me and I was there for what it seems like an eternity," Lorena Karim said. "And all I saw was guns … it was quite scary."

One security expert said the video footage of tactical officers on the plane further shows that the so-called "SWAT team culture" has gotten "a little bit out of hand."

John Thompson of the Strategic Capital Intelligence Group said the police response may have been more aggressive than what the situation called for.