The RCMP have charged two women in connection with an anonymous national security tip that was later found to be a hoax.
Darlton Graham, 52, of London and Majorie Chamberlain, 54, of Brantford are both facing terrorist hoax and public mischief charges. Chamberlain is also facing a charge of counselling an offence.
RCMP Sgt. Richard Rollings tells CTV News police received an an anonymous phone call from the London area that a terrorist attack was planned on a Canadian flight and the call implicated an individual in Alberta in the attack.
The charges were laid following an investigation involving the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams in Toronto and Edmonton that began on Jan. 22 and found the allegations were unfounded.
Insp. Lise Crouch, the officer in charge of the team in Toronto, said in a statement “The RCMP would like to remind the public that it takes all threats to Canada’s national security seriously and to determine their credibility, we must fully investigate each and every one of them.”
She added “Investigating potential threats consumes significant resources and time for the police, domestic and international, and all other agencies and partners that play a role in public safety. Terrorist hoaxes are far from harmless pranks. They cause real public apprehension, result in unnecessary and very costly responses by law enforcement and divert valuable resources which would be better allocated to serious matters that impact public safety.”
The RCMP are thanking local police forces in London, Brantford and Edmonton for their help in the investigation.
Graham and Chamberlain were both released on a promise to appear and are scheduled to appear in a London court on March 18.
