Man charged after threat targeting U.S. Consulate in Halifax

Halifax police charged a man Tuesday with making a bomb threat against the local U.S. Consulate, which prompted a five-hour evacuation of several downtown buildings and streets the day before.

On Tuesday afternoon, 54-year-old Ali Assakereh of Halifax appeared in Halifax provincial court to face charges of uttering threats and public mischief. His bail hearing was adjourned until Wednesday at the Crown’s request and he was returned to custody.

Police have confirmed they learned about the bomb threat on Sunday night and found the suspect’s vehicle parked near the consulate the next morning. Assakereh was arrested a short time later in the city’s west end.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa issued a statement late Monday saying U.S. officials would not comment on a security matter, citing the ongoing police investigation.

Investigators say the vehicle contained a propane tank and containers believed to be filled with flammable liquids. But an explosives expert later determined they posed no threat to public safety and the evacuation orders were lifted Monday at 2 p.m.

Evacuation order lifted after downtown Halifax bomb threat

A large area around Purdy’s Wharf was evacuated for five hours on Monday after a suspicious vehicle was found in a parkade. The CBC’s Josh Hoffman has the story.

During his court hearing Tuesday, Assakereh appeared via video link. He communicated with the help of an Arabic interpreter.

At one point, Assakereh said through the interpreter that he wanted to present evidence showing the racism he has witnessed, but he said he did not have the documents with him. He also spoke about leaving the Islamic religion, adding that if he was in an Islamic state, he would be sentenced to death.

The interpreter also told the court that Assakereh was alleging that he and his family were being threatened by “the war, police, security people and even the welfare, income assistance (people).”

At the conclusion of the hearing, the interpreter said Assakereh would prefer to have a Farsi interpreter. Farsi, also known as Persian, is mainly spoken in Iran, where it is the official language.

The alleged bomb threat in Halifax came less than a week after two suspects were charged with shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto in July — the second such incident at the building this year.

A 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy are facing more than a dozen charges in what police have described as a criminals-for-hire operation.

The consulate in Toronto was previously targeted on March 10, when two suspects allegedly fired multiple shots at the building. An 18-year-old and a 19-year-old are facing multiple charges.

At the time, RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather described the shooting as a “national security incident,” adding that consulates in Canada “deserve a heightened amount of vigilance.”

No one was injured in either shooting.

In May, an Iraqi national accused in the U.S. of plotting terror attacks in response to the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran was also accused of involvement in attacks in Canada, including the March shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto.

U.S. prosecutors said the accused directed and urged other people to attack U.S. and Israeli interests, including by killing Americans and Jews.

On May 15, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi was charged in a Federal Court in New York with supporting Iran-backed terrorist organizations. He was also charged with conspiring and providing material support for acts of terrorism and conspiring to bomb a place of public use.

None of the allegations against him have been tested in court.

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