A 31-year-old woman from Windsor has been charged over an online bomb threat against the mayor of the southwestern Ontario city.
A 31-year-old woman from Windsor has been charged over a bomb threat against the mayor of the southwestern Ontario city.
Windsor police said in a media release that the threat was posted Monday in a social media thread about current COVID-19 restrictions.
The threat itself targeted a residence owned by Mayor Drew Dilkens, police said.
An investigation identified a suspect who was arrested without incident on Thursday.
“Investigators believe the threats are directly related to ongoing pandemic measures,” police said in a statement.
No comment from mayor
The incident comes after the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit, had been the scene of anti-vaccine mandate protests. Protesters blocked access to the bridge for six days last week. The vital trade link was reopened to traffic on Sunday after a court injunction was obtained and police worked to enforce the injunction. The province had also been put in a state of emergency to deal with the protests.
Dilkens has referred to the bridge blockades as an “illegal occupation.”
The federal government invoked the Emergencies Act earlier this week in response to similar protests against pandemic restrictions happening across the country. The act allows the government to take special, temporary measures against the blockades and protests.
The accused in the bomb threat case has been charged with threats to property, and has been released on an undertaking with conditions, pending a future court appearance.
No further information has been provided, and police said the investigation is ongoing.
A spokesperson for Dilkens said the mayor will not be doing interviews about the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Windsor Police Service’s Major Crime Unit or Crime Stoppers.