MONTREAL — Two people were being questioned Tuesday in connection with an alleged threat that triggered a massive security operation in Montreal and the evacuation of about 200 people from their homes.
Local police said they received a tip from another force about someone making threats on social media.
An investigation led them to a home in Pierrefonds-Roxboro, a borough in the western part of the city.
Cmdr. Ian Lafreniere said a young man and a woman believed to be his mother surrendered to a police tactical unit and were being questioned.
Meanwhile, officers were preparing to search their home.
"It's a matter of time before we'll be able to search the house to see if the threats were accurate," Lafreniere said.
About 200 people were forced to leave their homes as a precaution and commuter train service was interrupted at a nearby station.
Montreal officers went door to door, urging people to grab anything they needed and telling them it wasn't clear when they'd be allowed to return home.
One resident forced from her home told journalists at the scene police warned of possible explosives.
"At this moment, it's still possible it could be a prank or real, but we're not taking any chances," Lafreniere said.
Police wouldn't say how many officers were on the ground — but acknowledged the RCMP and Quebec provincial police were involved.
Those three forces investigate terror-related threats jointly in Quebec.
"Because of the nature of the threat — we've done the investigation with the RCMP and the SQ (provincial police)," Lafreniere said.
