Mounties charge man with terrorism hoax

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MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged a man with committing a terrorism hoax, a spokesman said.

The suspect, who was not identified, was charged two weeks after the RCMP released photographs of him, saying he was being sought as part of a "national security investigation," Postmedia News reported.

The man was charged with committing a terrorism hoax and public mischief in an incident that occurred at a DocuServe Etc. outlet in Mississauga, Ontario, but details of the alleged hoax were not released.

"We take all threats to national security seriously, and to determine their credibility we must fully investigate these threats," Sgt. Greg Cox, the RCMP spokesman, said Thursday.

"Investigating potential threats consumes significant resources and time for the police, domestic and international, and all other agencies/partners who play a role in public safety," Cox said.

"As such, 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."