A woman, whom police say had no form of identification on her person, was arrested in front of the doors of Congressional Hall in Downtown Tofino on Wednesday afternoon, prompting an evacuation once it was discovered she was in possession of an explosive device.
The woman was confronted by security officers after a tourist pointed her out to them because of "suspicious activity, including strange pacing in the crowd of tourists. She was wearing a trench coat, despite temperatures being in the mid-80's Fahrenheit." She was arrested after becoming irate, and the officers discovered a package in her coat and realized it contained explosive ordinance.
Police evacuated over 1,200 people from the courtyard outside the legislature and evacuated staff and lawmakers from inside the building. A bomb disposal unit contained and disarmed the explosives on site.
The woman was described as not having any identifying documents, but "spoke clear English, although with a slight accent and small, minor quirks in her speech that indicated a fabrication." Those revelations, made by a Tofino Police chief, spurred speculation that the woman was either disgruntled as a tourist or is a foreign saboteur. The accusation, however, is "not specifically enforced by physical evidence, and (we would encourage) people to not make assumptions that spread misinformation."