On a September morning that began with a single message to a children's hospital, a pattern of online threats began moving through Boston's most familiar places, from medical centers to a library and a historic theater. Weeks later, the thread led across the border to a 42-year-old man in Peterborough, Ontario, who now faces dozens of charges in Canada. Whether the reach of those accusations will extend south remains an open question, one that will likely be answered by how his case unfolds where it now stands.
Canadian Man Charged With Dozens of Counts Over Online Bomb Threats to Boston Hospitals and Venues
The targets ranged from medical centers to a historic performance venue.
Mark
What is the core of this story? Threats to Boston, but a suspect arrested in Canada?
Mimi
Yes. Between Sept. 9 and about Sept. 13, threats hit Boston Children's, Mass General, the Prudential Center, the Orpheum Theater and the Boston Public Library. Police traced them to Canada and a man in Peterborough, Ontario, was arrested Sept. 26.
Mark
That was fast. Why?
Mimi
Boston police shared their findings with Peterborough police on Sept. 13, and Canadian police got arrest and search warrants. The cooperation involved the FBI and the Suffolk DA as well.
Luke
Let's be careful about wording, though. Kimble is accused. These are allegations, and he hasn't been tried.
Mark
Fair. What are the charges?
Mimi
Twelve counts of public mischief, twelve of false information, and one of failing to comply with a probation order.
Luke
Notice that the source doesn't say which threats map to which counts. It also doesn't say how police linked him to the threats beyond saying they were similar and appeared to come from Canada.
Mark
So the evidence isn't described?
Luke
Not in this reporting. The identification method isn't laid out, and "appeared to originate in Canada" is the investigators' assessment.
Mimi
And whether he faces US charges isn't answered. For now, the Canadian trial comes first.
Luke
Right, that's still unknown, and we shouldn't guess at it.
Der Puls
- A string of bomb threats hit Boston's hospitals, arena, theater, and library within four days, unsettling a city that had no way of knowing where the next message would land.
- Investigators noticed the threats shared similar details and traced them to Canada, turning a scattered wave of alarms into a single trail to follow.
- Boston police handed their findings to the Peterborough Police Service, and Canadian authorities moved quickly to secure an arrest warrant and a search warrant.
- Joshua Kimble was arrested on Sept. 26 and sits in custody awaiting trial in Canada, while the question of any U.S. charges hangs unresolved.
On a September morning that began with a single message to a children's hospital, a pattern of online threats began moving through Boston's most familiar places, from medical centers to a library and a historic theater. Weeks later, the thread led across the border to a 42-year-old man in Peterborough, Ontario, who now faces dozens of charges in Canada. Whether the reach of those accusations will extend south remains an open question, one that will likely be answered by how his case unfolds where it now stands.
On Sept. 9, a bomb threat arrived online at Boston Children's Hospital. It was the first of several that would reach some of the city's best-known institutions over the next few days, and on Monday Boston police announced that a man in Canada had been charged in connection with them.
The man is Joshua Kimble, 42, of Peterborough, Ontario. He faces 12 counts of public mischief, 12 counts of false information, and one count of failing to comply with a probation order. The charges were filed in Canada, the product of a joint investigation involving the FBI, the Suffolk District Attorney's Office, and Canadian police.
The threats did not stop at the hospital. Over four days, targets included the Prudential Center, the Orpheum Theater, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Boston Public Library, a mix of medical sites, a shopping and office complex, a historic venue, and a public library. Investigators saw that the messages shared similar details and appeared to come from Canada, and that observation shaped the rest of the case.
On Sept. 13, Boston police passed their findings to the Peterborough Police Service. With that help, Canadian authorities identified Kimble, obtained an arrest warrant and a search warrant for his home, and arrested him on Sept. 26. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
The charges are Canadian, and the announcement did not say whether Kimble will face any in the United States. That question will likely depend on how the Canadian proceedings unfold.
On Sept. 9, a bomb threat arrived online at Boston Children's Hospital. It was the first in a string of threats that would reach several of the city's best-known institutions over the following days, and on Monday Boston police announced that a man in Canada has been charged in connection with them.
The man is Joshua Kimble, 42, of Peterborough, Ontario. According to Boston police, he faces 12 counts of public mischief, 12 counts of false information, and one count of failing to comply with a probation order. The charges were filed in Canada, and they come out of a joint investigation involving the FBI, the Suffolk District Attorney's Office and police in Canada.
The sequence began with Boston Children's Hospital on Sept. 9. Over the next four days, police said, additional bomb threats were received by the Prudential Center, the Orpheum Theater, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Public Library. The targets ranged from medical centers to a shopping and office complex, a historic performance venue and a public library.
Investigators noticed a pattern. All of the threats shared similar details, and they appeared to have originated in Canada. That finding shaped what happened next.
On Sept. 13, Boston police shared what they had learned with the Peterborough Police Service. Working with that information, Canadian authorities were able to identify the suspect as Kimble. Police in Canada then applied for an arrest warrant for him and a search warrant for his residence, and both were granted.
Kimble was arrested on Sept. 26, about two weeks after Boston police passed along their findings. He remains in custody in Canada awaiting trial.
The case is being prosecuted in Canada, and the charges listed are Canadian ones. The announcement did not say whether Kimble will face any charges in the United States. That question is likely to depend on how the Canadian proceedings unfold, and his trial there is the next thing to watch.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
All of the threats shared similar details and appeared to have originated in Canada.— Boston police, as reported by NBC10 Boston
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