Suspect Believed to Be Behind Fake Bomb Threats at Ont. Schools Arrested in Morocco: OPP

The OPP says it will continue to investigate and work closely with Belgian police.

A file photo of an Ontario Provincial Police logo. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

A suspect believed to be responsible for a series of bomb threats at Ontario schools last month has been arrested in Morocco, say police.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said there is a “strong reason” to believe the person arrested in Morocco by Belgian police this week was also responsible for the Nov. 1 bomb threats at schools in the GTA, southeastern Ontario, and northern Ontario.

The individual was arrested in connection with a series of bomb threats against schools in Belgium earlier in the week.

“The investigation in this province by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) criminal investigations branch has given investigators strong reason to believe the individual from Morocco was also responsible for the threats and major disruption here in Ontario,” police said in a Nov. 30 statement released on social media.

The OPP said schools and other public facilities received threatening messages on Nov. 1 claiming bombs had been placed at their locations, but “no actual explosives were ever found.” The bomb threats were made with demands for money in exchange for information about the location of the supposed explosives.

It’s believed Belgian police worked with authorities in Morocco to make the arrest, OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said, adding that details about the suspect, including the person’s age and gender, have yet to be released.

The OPP said it cannot speculate on “when or if the person will face charges in Canada,” but the Ontario force will continue to investigate and will work closely with Belgian police.

Nov. 1 Bomb Threats

Toronto police were called on Nov. 1 to search three schools related to the threats: Kipling Collegiate Institute, Lakeshore Collegiate Institute, and Western Technical-Commercial School.

“All three schools were swept and cleared by police,” Toronto police said in a social media post. “No bombs were located.”

The Toronto School Board said two additional schools—The Student School and Ursula Franklin Academy—had received threats but were also cleared by Toronto police.

Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l'Est ontarien, which serves the counties of Prescott and Russell as well as Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry, also received a bomb threat. The school board sent a letter to parents informing them that staff and students in all schools had been directed to “places of refuge.”

The Cybercrime Investigations Team and local Crime Units of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has been investigating the bomb threats made to schools in northern Ontario.

“In some cases, the threats came into the school boards, impacting a number of schools in one message,” Mr. Dickson told The Epoch Times in an email at the time.

Some of the schools that received threats posted alerts on their social media pages.

The Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes Rivières (CSCDGR) said it decided to close schools in the area as a precaution after receiving a threat. The Catholic board supervises schools from Hearst to Temiskaming Shores.

The Northeast Catholic School Board, which oversees schools in Cochrane and Timiskaming Districts, issued a similar notice on the same day.

OPP East Region said it did not find any indication of bombs during its investigation.

The Canadian Press contribute to this report.