A 45-year-old man arrested in Belgium in early December has just been charged in Ontario in connection with a series of bombings.
• Also read: False bomb threats in Quebec: Suspect arrested in Morocco
• Also read: Bomb threats: Moroccans behind dozens of school closures
Moroccan El Hachm El Moussi is said to have sent extensive emails between October 18 and November 27 highlighting bomb threats in Canada and elsewhere around the world.
According to a news release from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the 40-year-old was just charged with six counts of mischief, threats and extortion.
Schools and other public facilities reportedly received bomb attacks in Ontario on November 1st. The calls were accompanied by ransom demands. Authorities found no explosives.
The PPO's cybercrime investigation team worked with the Belgian police and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). It took only a few days for police to establish the connection between the suspect and the events. They then obtained an arrest warrant.
The suspect was arrested in Tafraoute, Morocco, after carrying out a raid in Belgium on November 27 and forcing the closure of around thirty schools.
According to the Belgian public prosecutor's office, El Hachm El Moussi confessed to the matter during his interrogation.
The SQ, in turn, stated in a press release that the man from Casablanca could be connected to around fifty files in Quebec.
The OPP will consult with the federal Ministry of Justice to determine how the defendant will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice.