A man was taken into custody on Monday in Nova Scotia after he communicated a bomb threat toward the U.S. Consulate in Halifax one night earlier and flammable liquids were discovered in his vehicle in a nearby parking garage, the authorities said.
The Halifax Regional Police evacuated several blocks around the consulate for more than five hours on Monday until the authorities determined there was no danger to the public.
Investigators did not release the name of the man, who had yet to be charged, or say what had prompted his threat.
He is 54 years old, according to the police, who did not say how the bomb threat was communicated.
The consulate did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
The episode was the latest involving U.S. Consulates in Canada, where twice this year the one in Toronto was struck by gunfire.
Around 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, law enforcement officers in Nova Scotia learned that the U.S. Consulate in Halifax had received a bomb threat and identified the man who had communicated it, the authorities said.
Officers found the suspect’s vehicle inside a parking garage at Purdy’s Wharf at 8:10 a.m. on Monday and could see a propane tank and several containers believed to contain flammable liquid within, said the police, who used the bomb squad to inspect the materials.
The police took the man into custody about 25 minutes later in the Clayton Park West neighborhood, which is about seven miles west of the consulate, the authorities said. Investigators closed off streets in that neighborhood because they were concerned that the man could be in possession of explosives, but declared the area safe on Monday afternoon.
That neighborhood is home to the Canada Games Center, a recreation and fitness facility, which noted on its website that it was closed until 4 p.m. on Monday while the area was evacuated.