A security agent at Toronto Pearson International Airport insisted on opening a passenger's tefillin last week. The passenger recorded the discussion with the guard.

The passenger said that he explained the religious nature of the tefillin, which are worn on the arm and head during morning prayers, before he began filming.

The agent stated that that the tefillin were "odd" and that he had never seen anything like them before. He insisted on unwrapping and opening the tefillin, and refused the passenger's request to speak to a manager.

The agent eventually let the passenger have his tefillin back. The passenger told Yeshiva World News that he found the agent's comments about the tefillin to be hurtful.

TSA agents at many airports in the US are trained to recognize and treat religious items such as tefillin with respect. It is unknown whether agents at Pearson receive similar training.