IMP Aerospace lockdown near Halifax airport leads to charges
No connection between threat and recent layoff announcement, says executive vice-president
Two people are facing multiple weapons charges following a police investigation related to a potential threat at IMP Aerospace and Defence near Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
IMP was locked down for part of Thursday morning after RCMP warned the company of a threat involving people with connections to the airport community. However, neither police nor IMP would say what the threat entailed.
RCMP increased its presence in and around the airport and the 11 people still on an overnight shift at the facility left the building. IMP also notified its hundreds of daytime staff not to come into work.
According to Halifax Regional Police, officers arrested a 48-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman around 9 a.m. Thursday following the execution of three separate search warrants in Dartmouth and Nine Mile River.
Police seized ammunition, magazines for firearms and a locked gun case believed to contain a firearm, from two of the three properties searched.
The man and woman were each charged with four counts of possession of a prohibited device in relation to four overcapacity cartridge magazines for a rifle.
The man appeared in Dartmouth provincial court Friday morning and the woman is set to appear on April 19.
IMP Aerospace and Defence repairs military aircraft and last week the company announced it would be laying off 44 employees.
However Tom Galley, IMP's executive vice-president, said Thursday there was "no connection" between the potential threat and the layoffs.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police Crime Stoppers.