(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Three buildings at Concordia University in Montreal were evacuated on Wednesday morning after receiving a bomb threat targeting Muslim students.
According to the media reports, three Concordia buildings were evacuated after a letter issuing the threat was emailed to several media outlets, including the CBC. There were evacuations and canceled classes at the university as a result of the emails, which were reportedly sent by a group calling itself the “Council of Conservative Citizens of Canada.” In the U.S., the “Council of Conservative Citizens” is a white supremacist group.
Quebec’s Higher Education Minister Helene David told reporters at a press conference that McGill University, Montreal’s other English-language university, also received a threatening email, but with no precise location target or time.
Details alluded to bombs being set off at “the engineering, computer science and visual arts integrated (EV) and Hall buildings.” Evacuations began shortly after 11:30 a.m. ET and eventually included the Guy-De Maisonneuve (GM) building.
The group claiming responsibility for the threat calls itself the Council of Conservative Citizens of Canada or C4. So far, no explosive devices or suspicious packages have been located after extensive police searches.
Alan Shepard, the president of Concordia University, told a press conference that the school has an “inclusive” environment and they have an excellent relationship with the Muslim community on campus.
“I am shocked and surprised,” Shepard said. “We have students from 150 different countries and many faith communities. Everybody’s welcome. We have a great institution, and it’s a shame to see this kind of threat against any of our groups of students.”
Shepard said the school has been in contact with the school’s Muslim student association since early in the morning.
University spokesperson Chris Mota informed reporters that Concordia’s Muslim Students Association had been contacted to ensure that all the university’s Muslim students are safe and secure. The situation remains, however, a matter for the police. “It is a police operation,” Mota said. “We do follow their lead, and we follow their timeline.”
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