Toronto man charged in alleged terrorism hoax

Toronto Police have charged a man with allegedly making online terrorist threats to injure or kill civilians at a city landmark and an event.

Police determined the threats were a hoax but said they went to great lengths to investigate the matter. They did not disclose the targets, saying they feared copycats.

"These were threats that we took seriously. We put considerable resources into place to check them out," said Mark Pugash, a police spokesman.

Police became aware of the threats on Sunday. Investigators credited members of the public and other partners with reporting the online comments.

Mr. Pugash would not say whether there was any link with the Quebec City mosque shootings on Sunday evening. "If someone makes a threat to this city, our concern is not particularly what may have motivated them. Our concern is to determine whether there is a threat to this city and to take whatever steps are necessary to get to the bottom of that," he said.

Connor Merzetti, who is 33 and lives in Toronto, is charged with uttering threats and the uncommon offence known as "hoax regarding terrorist activity," which is punishable by up to five years in prison in cases where no one is injured or killed. He was arrested on Monday and later appeared in court.