A Moroccan man is facing charges in Canada after a series of bomb threats in Ontario last month and his arrest by Belgian police, the OPP says.
The Ontario Provincial Police provided a brief update Wednesday on their investigation into a series of bomb threats that occurred in Ontario on Nov. 1.
Multiple schools and other public facilities received messages indicating that bombs had been placed at their locations, police said.
The messages also included a demand for money in order to get information on the explosives, police said.
No explosives were ever found.
Late last month, the OPP said an individual believed to be responsible for the threats had been arrested in Morocco, though it was unclear at the time if he’d be charged in Canada.
The suspect is also believed to have been responsible for threats in Belgium that resulted in at least 27 schools in Brussels and a neighbouring region shut down.
“The investigation in this province, by the Ontario Provincial Police Criminal Investigation Branch, has given investigators strong reason to believe the individual from Morocco was also responsible for the threats and major disruption here in Ontario,” provincial police said in a statement at the time.
According to media in Belgium, the threats included a demand of 10 million euros to reveal the location of five bombs. Officials there say the suspect “admitted the deeds to the Moroccan authorities” and that so far there is no evidence suggesting any “terrorist motives.”
The OPP worked with Belgian police in the investigation and obtained an arrest warrant.
An OPP spokesperson told Global News on Wednesday that the accused remains in the custody of Belgian police.
El Hachm El Moussi, 45, from Casablanca, Morocco, is now charged in Canada with two counts each of uttering threats, mischief, and extortion, OPP said.
“The accused has not come to Canada to face the charges,” the OPP spokesperson said.
“The OPP is consulting with the Federal Department of Justice to determine how the accused will appear before the Ontario Court of Justice.”
— With files from Sawyer Bogdan