The Winnipeg Police Service said Thursday afternoon that they’re in the process of investigating a number of bomb threats that have been sent to local businesses.
Police said the businesses are spread throughout the city and that similar threats have been made elsewhere in Canada and the United States as well.
“Businesses are being emailed to the business corporate email accounts,” Cst. Rob Carver said, “with a bomb threat and an extortion behind it for money to be paid for the business not to be bombed.
“We’ve sent officers to every business, we’ve helped the businesses go through to make sure everybody’s safe, we can help them search if they think that’s something they want.”
Carver told 680 CJOB there’s some benefit to Winnipeg being one of the last cities in North America to receive these threats, as none of the other threats have been seen as credible.
“I’m not saying it removes any concern we have, but it certainly allows us to view it in a different light, because the pattern has been, we know, there just aren’t any businesses that have received what we view as a credible threat with a suspicious package.”
Carver said police have heard from eight local businesses that have received threats.
LISTEN: WPS Cst. Rob Carver describes their response to email bomb threats received in Winnipeg
Manitoba RCMP said they have also received reports about these threats, and that the threats are demanding bitcoin payments.
Reports on social media show similar situations in Kenora, Ottawa and Toronto, as well as in B.C., Alberta and the Maritimes. Several cities in the U.S. were also targeted.
Although none of the threats have been substantiated, police say they’re taking them seriously and have officers attending to each location that has received a threat.
WATCH: Charlotte, N.C., one of several North American cities to receive bomb threats
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