A man is facing charges after he allegedly made a bomb threat that triggered a large evacuation order in downtown Halifax Monday. Ali Assakereh, 54, has been charged with the following offences: Assakereh was set to appear in Halifax provincial court on Tuesday. The Public Prosecution Service said the case was adjourned at the request of the Crown, with the matter rescheduled for Wednesday morning. Threat reportedly made to U.S. consulate Halifax Regional Police (HRP) says it first became aware of a bomb threat to the U.S. consulate in Purdy’s Wharf at 6:15 p.m. Sunday. They identified the man who allegedly made the threats and started to look for him. Police say they found the man’s vehicle in the Purdy’s Wharf parkade on Upper Water Street around 8:10 a.m. Monday. “A propane tank and several containers believed to contain flammable liquid could be seen inside the vehicle,” reads a HRP news release. Police evacuated the parkade around 8:45 a.m. and an Explosive Disposal Unit responded to the scene. Officers also found a “suspicious bag” nearby. Man arrested in Clayton Park Officers found and arrested the suspect on Thomas Raddall Drive near the Canada Games Centre in Clayton Park around 8:35 a.m. Monday. “Given the concern that he may be in possession of explosives, road closures were in place for much of the day on Thomas Raddall Drive and surrounding areas while his belongings were searched with the support of the RCMP Explosive Disposal Unit,” said Halifax police. Evacuations downtown At 10:15 a.m., the downtown evacuation area was expanded to include several downtown streets. The evacuation zone included numerous hotels, restaurants, Scotia Square and government offices. An emergency alert was issued around 10:30 a.m. warning of the bomb threat. It said police had the area, including the suspicious vehicle, contained. Vehicles and pedestrians were asked to avoid the area. Some Halifax Transit buses were also operating on detoured routes. Police said just before 1:30 p.m. there was “no ongoing threat” in the Clayton Park area. About 30 minutes later, police said there was no threat downtown either and affected roads reopened. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
