Halifax authorities pressed charges against a man on Tuesday for allegedly making a bomb threat directed at the local U.S. Consulate. As a result, multiple downtown buildings and streets were evacuated for five hours the day before.
54-year-old Ali Assakereh, a resident of Halifax, appeared in Halifax provincial court on Tuesday afternoon to face accusations of uttering threats and public mischief. His bail hearing was postponed until Wednesday at the prosecution’s request, and he was remanded in custody.
Police were informed of the bomb threat on Sunday night and located the suspect’s vehicle parked near the consulate the following morning. Assakereh was promptly apprehended in the city’s west end.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa released a statement on Monday night stating that U.S. officials would not comment on the security issue due to the ongoing police inquiry.
Upon inspection, authorities found a propane tank and containers with flammable liquids in the suspect’s vehicle. However, an explosives specialist later determined that they did not pose a danger to public safety, leading to the lifting of the evacuation orders on Monday at 2 p.m.
During his court appearance on Tuesday, Assakereh appeared via video link and communicated through an Arabic interpreter. He mentioned wanting to provide evidence of racism he had encountered and spoke about renouncing the Islamic faith, noting the severe repercussions he would face in an Islamic state.
At the end of the hearing, the interpreter conveyed Assakereh’s preference for a Farsi interpreter, as Farsi is predominantly spoken in Iran.
This incident in Halifax occurred shortly after two individuals were charged with shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto in July. The suspects, a 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy, are facing numerous charges linked to what authorities have described as a criminal operation for hire.
The Toronto consulate had been targeted previously on March 10 when two individuals allegedly fired shots at the building, leading to charges against an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old.
In a separate case, an Iraqi national accused of plotting terror attacks in the U.S. and Canada was charged with supporting terrorist organizations. The individual, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, was also accused of conspiring to commit acts of terrorism and bomb public places.
None of the allegations against him have been tested in court.
