TORONTO -- Toronto police are investigating whether a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of a Jewish community centre was a hate crime.
Det. Barry White says it is not yet clear if roughly five messages received in quick succession last Tuesday by the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre targeted it for racial reasons.
White declined to say if the messages arrived by phone or electronically or if they contained anti-Jewish content.
He says the threats were sent by computer and forced an evacuation of the community centre as bomb teams searched for two hours before declaring it free of explosive devices.
White says five computers seized from a suspect's home are being examined.
Police have charged 36-year-old Harold Lee with threatening death and mischief -- he'll remain behind bars until a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday.
White said the messages were sent to the centre within roughly 30 minutes of each other around 4 p.m. Tuesday.
"We're not saying if it was voice or text or photos," he said.
White said investigators have not turned up any explosive devices.
"We did seize a number of computers and equipment capable of transmitting or receiving messages," White said.
