London police confirm they were among several police departments across the country which responded to bomb threats on Thursday, connected to emails that demanded Bitcoin payments.
The bomb threats in cities across Canada and the U.S. prompted evacuations at schools, businesses and public areas. Authorities say it appears in all cases that the scare was a crude extortion attempt.
In London, city police say they responded to a report of a bomb threat at a restaurant on King Street around 1:50 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
They say the restaurant was evacuated and searched, and nothing was found. Their investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, West Region OPP are investigating six threats including one in Middlesex Centre. Const. Max Gomez told 980 CFPL on Thursday that they believe the emails were hoaxes but police respond to every call to ensure public safety.