Halifax police charge man with uttering threats over U.S. Consulate bomb scare

HALIFAX — Halifax police charged a man Tuesday with making a bomb threat against the local U.S. Consulate, which prompted a temporary evacuation of several downtown streets.

Halifax Regional Police confirmed that 54-year-old Ali Assakereh was scheduled to appear in provincial court to face charges of uttering threats and public mischief.

Police say they learned about the bomb threat on Sunday night and found the suspect’s vehicle parked near the consulate the next morning.

Investigators say the vehicle contained a propane tank and containers believed to be filled with flammable liquids. But an explosives expert later determined they posed no threat to public safety and the evacuation orders were lifted Monday at 2 p.m.

Assakereh has a Halifax address, according to a charge sheet filed in court.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa issued a statement late Monday saying U.S. officials would not comment on a security matter, citing the ongoing police investigation.

Last week, two suspects were charged with shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto in July — the second such incident at the building this year. A 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy are facing more than a dozen charges in what police have described as a criminals-for-hire operation.

The consulate in Toronto was previously targeted on March 10, when two suspects allegedly fired multiple shots at the building. An 18-year-old and a 19-year-old are facing multiple charges.

At the time, RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather described the shooting as a “national security incident,” adding that consulates in Canada “deserve a heightened amount of vigilance.”

No one was injured in either shooting.

In May, an Iraqi national accused in the U.S. of plotting terror attacks in response to the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran was also accused of involvement in attacks in Canada, including the March shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto.

U.S. prosecutors said the accused directed and urged other people to attack U.S. and Israeli interests, including by killing Americans and Jews.

On May 15, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi was charged in a Federal Court in New York with supporting Iran-backed terrorist organizations. He was also charged with conspiring and providing material support for acts of terrorism and conspiring to bomb a place of public use.

None of the allegations against him have been tested in court.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2026.

— with files from The Associated Press

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press