Man Caught with Bomb-Making Materials Trying to Board LAX-Bound Flight

By City News Service

A 71-year-old man who was allegedly caught with bomb-making materials trying to board an LAX-bound flight in Montreal was in custody today and being interrogated by Canadian law enforcement.

Antony Piazza, who changed his name from Houshang Nazemi in 1986, appeared in a Montreal courtroom for a bail hearing, but it was delayed until Nov. 6 to resolve questions about who will act as his attorney.

Piazza was stopped at Pierre Trudeau Airport during security screening early Sunday morning when bomb components -- but no actual explosives -- were found in his carry-on luggage, and his duplex in the Montreal suburb of La Salle was searched, according to media reports from Montreal.

At the Montreal airport, about 16 U.S.-bound flights were delayed and a bomb squad was sent to the departure gate.

A native of Tehran, Iran, Piazza moved to Canada in 1979. In 1985, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking, according to CBC News in Montreal, which also reported that Piazza could face another 10 years if convicted of the latest charges.

Louis Morena, an attorney who represented Piazza during a brief court hearing Monday, told CBC that his client informed police the bag that contained the alleged bomb components was not his. Morena apparently no longer represents Piazza, and several attorneys showed up in court on his behalf today, CBC reported.