Halifax bomb threat accused charged near US Consulate after vehicle scare

Halifax,UPDATED: Aug 11, 2026 22:50 IST

Canadian police have charged a man with making a bomb threat against the US Consulate in Halifax, in the latest security incident involving an American diplomatic post in Canada.

The case comes after two shootings at the US Consulate in Toronto earlier this year. Authorities have not said there is any connection between the Halifax threat and the Toronto incidents.

Halifax Regional Police said they learned of the threat on Sunday night. Several streets in the downtown area were evacuated on Monday morning after officers found a vehicle linked to the suspect, Ali Assakereh, parked near the consulate. Police said the vehicle contained a propane tank and containers believed to hold flammable liquids.

Police said Assakereh, 54, was due to appear in provincial court on charges of uttering threats and public mischief. An explosives expert later found that the items in the vehicle did not pose a threat to public safety, and the evacuation was lifted on Monday afternoon. A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Ottawa said on Monday that US officials would not comment on a security matter while the police investigation was continuing.

The Halifax case follows two shootings at the US Consulate in Toronto, Canada’s largest city. In March, two people fired multiple shots at the downtown Toronto consulate, damaging the building but causing no injuries. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police described that attack as a national security incident. The building was targeted again on July 27, when a shot was fired at it. Toronto police later arrested a 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy, and said investigators were examining links to a wider gun-for-hire network. No one was injured in that incident either.

In sum, Canadian police have charged a 54-year-old man over a bomb threat at the US Consulate in Halifax after a vehicle linked to him was found near the mission, while investigators have said there is no known link so far between this case and the two earlier shootings at the US Consulate in Toronto.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends