Police charge man with bomb threat to U.S. Consulate that evacuated parts of downtown

Update: Charges laid against 54-year-old man

August 12, 12:57 p.m.

The Halifax Regional Police have charged one man with a bomb threat to the U.S. Consulate, which led to much of downtown Halifax being evacuated Aug. 10.

Ali Assakereh, 54, has been charged with uttering threats and public mischief in relation to the threats which shut down a large section of downtown for five hours, according to an HRP statement released early Aug. 11.

He appeared in Halifax provincial court on Aug. 11 to face his charges, but his bail hearing was adjourned until Wednesday at the request of the Crown.

BREAKING: Police reopen downtown Halifax, confirm no ongoing threat

August 10, 2:14 p.m.

At 2:00 p.m. on Aug. 10, Halifax Regional Police confirmed that there was no ongoing threat downtown. All streets have been reopened, and most transit routes have returned to normal scheduling.

More to come

BREAKING: Multiple downtown Halifax streets evacuated due to bomb threat, suspicious vehicle

August 10, 1:34 p.m.

Much of downtown Halifax has been evacuated on Monday morning due to a bomb threat. 

Police initially evacuated a parkade at 1969 Upper Water Street due to a suspicious vehicle and threats in the area shortly after 9 a.m. after a man was taken into custody by Halifax Regional Police related to the threats on Thomas Raddall Drive near the Canada Games Centre.

At 1:25 p.m., police confirmed that there is no ongoing threat at the location of the arrest. There will still be a small police presence in the area.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., Upper Water Street and the Barrington Street/Almalway Way intersection were closed. Duke Street and Barrington Street have also been closed to vehicle traffic leading up to Upper Water Street.

Brunswick Street, Cogswell Street and Dr. Aldred Wadell Street into Brunswick Street have been evacuated as well. The evacuation order includes both pedestrians and businesses and is ongoing as of 1:25 p.m.

Police urge pedestrians to avoid both areas. An investigation is still ongoing. There have been no updates from the HRP since 10:30 a.m. Public updates can be found on the HRP’s social media or website.

Transit detours issued across the city

Many transit routes will be delayed due to the ongoing police investigation.

The 320, 7B, 9A, 8, 29, 7A, 5, 2, 9B and 84 routes are all facing detours. 

You can see which specific stops are impacted and the detour routes for each transit route on the Halifax Transit website.