Man accused of Halifax U.S. consulate bomb threat to be tried in higher court

HALIFAX · A Halifax man accused of making a bomb threat against the U.S. consulate last summer elected to have his case heard in Nova Scotia Supreme Court during a brief provincial court appearance on Thursday. Ali Assakereh, 54, intends to plead not guilty and be tried by a judge alone, his legal aid lawyer Krysten Stevens told the court. Judge Barbara Beach said Assakereh must wait to enter his plea until the matter moves to the higher court. The hearing was derailed when Assakereh, appearing via video link from jail, held up a handwritten note after complaining about the audio, prompting the judge to order future appearances in person.

Assakereh faces three charges from an incident on Aug. 10, including making a threat against an internationally protected person, uttering threats and committing public mischief. The Crown is treating the threat charge as a terrorist activity, which allows for a potential life sentence instead of a five-year maximum. He was arrested after police found his vehicle containing a propane tank and containers of flammable liquid in a parkade near the consulate at Purdy's Wharf, leading to a large downtown evacuation. An explosives unit later determined the materials posed no public safety risk.

During the hearing, Stevens said Assakereh was waiving his preliminary inquiry to proceed directly to Supreme Court. His displayed note, however, contradicted this intention, leading Judge Beach to postpone the election for further client consultation. The judge also said Assakereh and his Farsi interpreter should attend future proceedings in person to prevent confusion. Assakereh has been held in custody since his arrest after the Crown opposed his release at an earlier hearing. The Halifax incident occurred less than a week after two people were charged in a shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto in July, which was the second such attack on that building this year. In the March incident at the Toronto consulate, two other suspects allegedly fired multiple shots at the building. Assakereh's case has been adjourned until November for his next appearance in Halifax provincial court.

With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and Global News