Man charged in bomb hoax was Concordia PhD student, says man who sublet to him

The man charged in connection with Wednesday's bomb threats at Concordia University, Hisham Saadi, was a PhD student in economics there, according to the man who sublet Saadi his apartment.

Speaking to CBC's French-language network, Radio-Canada, under the condition of anonymity, the man said he had met Saadi at Concordia to pick up a rent cheque.

He said Saadi is of Lebanese origin.

"I think he has [Canadian] citizenship," he said. "He has been here for many years."

• Montreal man charged with terror hoax after bomb threat targeting Muslim university students

Saadi has been ordered to undergo a psychological assessment. However, his sublessor brushed off a question about Saadi's mental health.

"He's a PhD student, he doesn't have [psychiatric] problems. He's lonely. Single, I mean," he told Radio-Canada.

Police arrest man in connection with Concordia University bomb threat

8 years ago

Duration 0:39

The man was arrested around 1:30 a.m. ET Thursday after officers descended on an apartment on Darlington Avenue near Goyer Street in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood. (Video submitted).

IP address led police to original tenant 

Saadi had been subletting the apartment on Darlington Avenue near Goyer Street in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood since mid-January.

As a sublessee, Saadi's online activity was linked to the IP address set up in the name of the official tenant whose name is on the original lease.

Police, looking for the computer which sent the threatening emails, arrested the official tenant when he emerged from the university, where he is also a student, at around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

He said police told him the IP address of the internet in his apartment had led them to him. 

He said investigators scrutinized his email activity but turned up nothing, because he hadn't sent anything suspicious.

He said police held him until about 3 a.m. Thursday.

At around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Saadi was arrested in the apartment.

• Man arrested after Concordia University bomb threat targeting Muslim students

Saadi appeared in a Montreal courtroom via video link on Thursday afternoon and was charged with carrying out a terror-related hoax, uttering threats and mischief.

He is to appear in court Friday for a bail hearing.

Saadi had not been previously known to police, and they said he did not resist arrest.