4 arrested after Montreal metro smoke bombings
Montreal police say they have arrested four people following Thursday's multiple smoke bombing attacks that shut down the city's metro system and stranded hundreds of thousands of people.
The four people turned themselves in to police late Thursday afternoon, accompanied by their lawyers.
Investigators are being tight-lipped about any further details.
Three smoke bombs were set off at three separate metro stations, shutting down the entire commuter system.
Several hours later, police released images of the suspects captured by witnesses. The three women and one man were captured on camera inside metro cars.
A former classmate of three of the suspects has confirmed to CBC three of the people that appear in the photos are students at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). They were identified as Vanessa L'Écuyer, François-Vivier Gagnon and Émilie Cloutier-Morin.
They have not been charged with any offence connected with yesterday's events.
This morning, police searched a home on Avenue Letourneux in the city's east end. They would only say a "police operation" was underway at the three storey apartment building and would not confirm it was connected to the smoke bomb attack.
However, according to Radio-Canada, the location being searched is linked to two of the suspects in Thursday's events.
Police have also not confirmed if the metro attacks were linked to the anti-tuition hike movement. The events were immediately condemned by provincial politicians and local public security officials.
Sgt. Ian Lafrenière of the Montreal police said several witnesses came forward after the metro shut down and offered information to investigators.
"I guess people were shocked about what happened yesterday," he said. "A lot of people were touched by that – either they were stuck in the metro or stuck in traffic because yesterday morning, that was a nightmare in terms of traffic."
He said investigators have been working to confirm all the information that came in. But, investigators are revealing little about what they've learned so far.
"In police we say, 'We don't want to know, we want to prove it,'" he said. "So that's why we need more time."
