PEI

Suspicious pipe found in Charlottetown home determined not to be explosive device

Charlottetown police say a suspicious device found on Passmore Street on Aug. 11 was not an explosive device.

Police say no charges will be laid

Bateson MacLeod says he found this object while renovating an old shed on his property in Charlottetown and thought he should call police. (Bateson MacLeod)

Charlottetown police say a suspicious device found on Passmore Street on Aug. 11 was not an explosive device.

The metal pipe with end caps was discovered in a shed on the property when the homeowner was tearing it down.

Since the pipe looked like a pipe bomb, he called the police.

Police blocked off the area and evacuated nearby homes for several hours as a precaution. The explosive disposal unit from Halifax was called in and removed the pipe.

Charlottetown police Deputy Chief Brad MacConnell said the unit destroyed the pipe with a controlled charge as a precaution.

"It did have some hallmarks of what is known as a pipe bomb but it also had missed some components including any sort of obvious detonation component," MacConnell said in an interview with CBC News. 

"The ERU, the explosive removal unit, disposed of the device in a safe manner and no further action or investigation is anticipated in that matter." 
 

Police blocked off the area around the home on Passmore Street for several hours on Aug. 11 as a precaution. (Ken Linton/CBC)

MacConnell said police have determined there was no malicious intent behind the device, and no charges will be laid.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sally Pitt

Former CBC producer

Sally Pitt is a former producer with CBC. She worked as a journalist for more than 30 years in online, TV, radio and print. She specialized in justice issues.