Bomb hoax at Royal Ontario Museum

November 29, 2007

Police have now confirmed that a suspicious looking package left at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto as a hoax.

According to a YouTube video titled "The fake bombing at the ROM, Toronto, 28.11.07", the package was left by a Asian man and woman. A security guard found the bomb at 6:00pm near the Queen's Park Crescent entrance. It had a note attached saying "This is not a bomb." The police used a special robot.

The whole museum was evacuated and a fundraiser for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) was cancelled. More than two thousand people paid $600 to attend the event which was postponed.

The video was posted by a user named "toadmeat". On their profile it says they are 24 years old and their hometown is Reykjavík, Iceland, it also says their city as Toronto. They list their "style" as art. One person says on the comments section: "You're positively crazy. You need help ! The cops will find u ya asshole !", and another says "This guy hoaxed a bomb threat at a museum and an AIDS fundraiser had to be called off as a result. He seems to think his hoax was funny I wonder if he'd think it's funny to watch someone die from aids. I'm going to see what I can do to get this guy thrown off youtube".

The first video shows two hooded people walking and putting a suspicious package in the lobby and at about 1:23 a woman is standing in front of the video waves and speaks in a foreign language, then at about 1:30 a big noise happens and the woman falls, the video turns black and people can be heard screaming. The second video is called "Fake footage of the fake bombing at the ROM, Toronto" and has a pedestrian or guest at the museum saying "There has been an explosion" with an Asian man talking, and sirens in the background.

Just a few minutes ago a response video was posted telling "toadmeat" to turn himself in and that "you'll be on extensive terror watch lists". A video response posted before by a different users says "Thorarinn Ingi Jonsson made this video. Enjoy the buttsecks in prison!" and "P.S - Thorarinn Ingi Jonsson, your art sucks." Thorarinn Ingi Jonsson is one of the bomb threaters. In his videos "toadmeat" calls himself Thorarinn Ingi Jonsson and says his art videos were made at a class or classes at the Ontario College of Art and Design.

The large noise was real, but there was no explosion (as it was deliberately made to sound like an explosion), the fake bomb contained a battery and three wired-wrapped simulated pipe bombs.

Anyone who has information about the suspects or anything else should call police at (1) 416-808-5204, Crime Stoppers anonymously at (1) 416-222-TIPS (8477), toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS, or visit the Crime Stoppers website immediately.