B757 FLT DELAY DUE TO A PAX BOARDING THE ACFT WITH A KNIFE AND IDENTIFYING IT TO A FLT ATTENDANT.

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PAX BROUGHT A KNIFE ON ACFT THROUGH SECURITY AND GAVE THE KNIFE TO A FLT ATTENDANT TO RETURN TO ARPT. CAPT NOTIFIED SECURITY. ALL PAX WERE DEPLANED AND RESEARCHED AND REBOARDED TO PROCEED WITH FLT. PAX BRINGING KNIFE ABOARD WAS KEPT BY SECURITY IN MPTO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PAX HAD COME FORTH WITH THE KNIFE AFTER HAVING SAID THAT HE WANTED TO DEPLANE TO FLT ATTENDANT #2. THAT FLT ATTENDANT ALERTED THE PURSER OF THE SIT AND THE PAX THEN SAID THAT HE WANTED TO GIVE THE KNIFE TO THE SECURITY PERSONNEL AT THE GATE. DURING THE SECURITY INSPECTION HE HAD 'FORGOTTEN' THAT HE HAD IT ON HIS PERSON. THE CAPT WAS UPSET WITH THE LAPSE IN SECURITY AND HAD ALL OF THE PAX DEPLANED SO THAT SECURITY COULD SCREEN THEM AGAIN. THE SUBJECT PAX WAS OF A 'CALM DEMEANOR' BUT WAS DETAINED FOR QUESTIONING. THE FLT LEFT WITHOUT HIM. RPTR STATED HER CONCERNS FOR SECURITY AT SOME OTHER STATIONS IN SOUTH AND LATIN AMERICA WITH SOME STATIONS NOT HAVING A GATE AGENT TO SUPERVISE PAX IN THE GATE AREA.