Bilderberg-bound filmmaker held at airport

Laura Payton
Ottawa Citizen
Jun. 08, 2006

Canadian authorities detained an American activist filmmaker at the Ottawa airport late Wednesday night, confiscating his passport, camera equipment and most of his belongings.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada agents stopped Alex Jones, whose films include Martial Law 9/11: The Rise of the Police State, and questioned him for nearly four hours before letting him go with only one change of clothes and telling him to return Thursday morning.

“It’s really chilling, like a police state,” said Mr. Jones of his detention.

Mr. Jones and his crew, camera operators Ryan Schlickeisen and Aaron Dykes, travelled to Canada to film a documentary about the Bilderberg group, a secretive group of former politicians and business leaders who are meeting in Ottawa this week.

A Citizenship and Immigration representative said that her department was unable to comment on Mr. Jones’ detention.

“As a result of the privacy act, we are forbidden from discussing individual cases,” said Marina Wilson, spokesperson for the department. “I’m not aware of this ... (detention) is at the discretion of our visa officers.”

Mr. Jones said that he and the agents had reconciled prior to his release.

“I want to say, on the record, it takes two to tango. I could have handled it better.”