A bomb threat directed at the U.S. consulate in downtown Halifax led to the arrest of a man, police say, as well as the evacuation of high-rise office towers and nearby waterfront streets for several hours on Monday morning.

Police were informed of the bomb threat to the consulate on Sunday evening at around 6:15 p.m. and quickly identified the man responsible, according to a police statement.

His car was located on Monday morning just after 8 a.m. at the Purdy’s Wharf parkade in downtown, where investigators said a suspicious vehicle was being searched in response to threats.

Police said a propane tank and several containers believed to contain flammable liquid could be seen inside the vehicle, and that the surrounding area was evacuated. The Halifax Regional Police Explosive Disposal Unit responded, and by 2 p.m. determined there was no threat to public safety. The cordoned-off streets were then reopened.

The 54-year-old-man allegedly responsible for the threat was arrested earlier in the morning.

It’s the third incident involving a U.S. consulate building in Canada in five months. Last week, two teens were arrested and charged in relation to the early-morning shooting of the U.S. consulate building in Toronto in late July, while an 18-year-old was arrested for another alleged shooting at the same diplomatic office in March, in cases that police have said are linked to gun-for-hire networks.

The U.S. Consulate General in Halifax, located in one of the two office towers on the waterfront, serves the four Atlantic provinces, as well as the two small French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon.

Viki Limaye has been the U.S. Consul General in Halifax since August, 2024. According to her office’s social media account, she is in New Brunswick until August.