2nd Olympic security lapse at BC Place

Olympic security staff say that a second security breach at BC Place Stadium has resulted in a review of safety procedures at the major Olympic venue in Vancouver.

An individual with a valid ticket for an event at BC Place Monday evening was carrying a bag that security screeners had run through a scanning machine and determined they wanted to inspect more closely. But the person walked away from the screening station with the bag beforeit could be inspected again,said Cpl. Jen Allan of the Integrated Security Unit (ISU), the RCMP-ledpoliceforce in charge of Olympic security.

"We never did locate the individual," said Allan.

'It's another incident we are reviewing to ensure that our security processes are firm.' RCMP Cpl. Jen Allen

"We were not able to determine what the item was and whether there was any type of safety or security threat."

Allen did not say whether policethought the individual knew that security staff wanted to inspect the bag and was trying to elude them.

The RCMP did a thorough sweep of the 60,000-seat stadium at the end of the evening and found nothing suspicious.

Monday's events includeda medal presentation ceremony involving Canadian gold medal freestyle skierAlexandre Bilodeau and a concert by Quebec pianist and singer Gregory Charles.

This week'sincident followed one at last Friday's opening ceremonyin which a man wearing crudely forged credentials got past two layers of security and within metres of U.S. vice-president Joe Biden.

"It's another incident we are reviewing to ensure that our security processes are firm," Allan said.

Security atpassholder entrances tightened

Senior officials for the Vancouver organizing committee, known as VANOC, and the civilian chief of the federal government's security operation said Thursday that changes have been made, including tightening security at the poorly guarded secondary entrance to BC Place used by the man who approached Biden. The entrance is one several used not by ticketholders but by media, officials and other accredited individuals.

"What I can tell you is he entered through a non-spectator entrance and that the systems and processes for the credential checks, the security in all of those areas, have been tightened up," said Rene Smith-Valade, VANOC's chief spokeswoman.

Neither VANOC nor police would release further details on how exactly a man with a phoney pass copied from the internet could get through the stadium's exterior security perimeter, heavily monitored by cameras, then find his way to a poorlyguarded entrance to the massive building.

"I am not in a position to give you any further details than we have given because that could potentially compromise the security of the venue," Smith-Valade said.

VANOC officials said the man did not actively use the forged pass toget into the building but would not clarify what that meant. The man successfully cleared metal-detector screening because he had no weapon.

The ISU said some of the unit's officers who were part of Biden's security detailin the stadium's VIP area spotted the man in an area he wasn't supposed to be about 12 rows from the vice-president.

They intercepted him and steered him into a hallway, then arrested him when he tried to flee.

The 48-year-old man, whose name was not released, was turned over to the Vancouver police, given a psychiatric assessment and released without charges.

The U.S. Secret Service was not involved in the incident and said the ISU assured them Biden was never in danger. The man was reportedly "infatuated" with Biden, and ISU officials said he meant no harm.