An international turn of events has resulted in the arrest in Morocco of an individual believed to be responsible for bomb threats at schools across much of Ontario, including Prescott-Russell on November 1.
On that day, multiple schools and other public facilities received threatening messages, indicating that bombs had been placed at their locations. Locally, schools under the jurisdiction of the Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien (CSDCEO) were affected. Schools were evacuated, searched, and cordoned off for most of the day. Other school boards in the area took extra safety precautions to protect students and staff. The threats also included a demand for money in exchange for details about the alleged explosives. No actual explosives were ever found.
According to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Belgian police have now arrested an individual in Morocco in connection with a series of bomb threats against schools in Belgium earlier this week.
The investigation in Ontario, by the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, has given investigators strong reason to believe the individual from Morocco is also responsible for the threats and major disruption here in Ontario.
The Criminal Investigation Branch, working with the OPP Cybercrime Investigations Team, continues to investigate and will be working closely with Belgian police.
The OPP cannot speculate when or if the individual will face charges in Canada.
