An individual arrested in Morocco by Belgian police has been charged by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in connection with a series of bomb threats against schools across Ontario on November 1. The affected schools included those in Prescott-Russell part of the Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien (CSDCEO).
The schools and other public facilities received threatening messages, indicating that bombs had been placed at their locations. The threats also included a demand for money in exchange for details about the alleged explosives. No actual explosives were ever found. Many of the schools were evacuated.
Belgian police subsequently arrested an individual in Morocco in connection with a series of bomb threats against schools in Belgium. Following that arrest, the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch began working closely with the OPP Cybercrime Investigations Team and Belgian Police. As a result of the investigation, an arrest warrant was obtained.
El Hachm El Moussi, 45-years-old from Casablanca, Morocco, is charged with:
- Utter Threats – two counts
- Mischief – two counts
- Extortion – two counts
The OPP is consulting with the Federal Department of Justice to determine how the accused will appear before the Ontario Court of Justice.
