Close X
Thursday, December 12, 2024
ADVT 
National

Daniel Ransem, Man Accused of Posting Threat Against Wilfrid Laurier Says It Was A 'Dumb Decision'

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 Oct, 2015 11:38 AM
    LONDON — A man in London, England accused of posting an online threat against Wilfrid Laurier University says he made the comment as a joke and never expected anyone to take it seriously.
     
    In an interview with CTV News, a man the network identified as 22-year-old Daniel Ransem apologized to the school for the distress he caused.
     
    Ransem, who is charged with malicious communications, told the network the post is "a running joke" on the 4chan forum and he had no malicious intent.
     
    He says he has been released on bail and is due back in court in January.
     
    The U.K.'s Malicious Communications Act makes it illegal for anyone to send a threat with the intent to cause distress or anxiety.
     
    The post, which was initially flagged by U.S. authorities, triggered a lockdown of the Waterloo, Ont., campus for nearly six hours on Friday.
     
    Waterloo police compared the threat to a warning posted before a shooting earlier this month at an Oregon college that left 10 people, including the shooter, dead.
     
    A photo shared on Twitter showed a post that featured an image of a frog holding a gun and read: "Don't go to laurier science building hall tomorrow. happening thread will be posted in the morning."
     
    A post that preceded the Oregon shooting read: "Don't go to school if you are in the northwest. happening thread will be posted tomorrow morning."
     
    Ransem said he didn't realize authorities took those kinds of posts as real threats.

     
    "I was ignorant of certain realities such as being that there was a level of paranoia across the pond that I wasn't knowing about," he said.
     
    "I knew there was a lot of shootings but I didn't know the paranoia was such that I was going to be arrested in this country. As soon as I was identified as being in another country, I'm not sure how I would be considered a credible threat."
     
    He said it was "a dumb decision" and he thought he was protected by freedom of speech legislation.
     
     
    "From the bottom of my heart, I am very, very sorry. I did not mean for the university to be shut down. I'm not a bad man, 10 minutes with me and you'll realize I'm as dangerous as a doormouse." 

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Federal Access To Information Law 'Effectively Crippled': New Study

    Federal Access To Information Law 'Effectively Crippled': New Study
    OTTAWA — A new report says Canada's access-to-information law remains "effectively crippled" as a means of promoting accountability.

    Federal Access To Information Law 'Effectively Crippled': New Study

    Amarpreet Samra, Wanted In Surrey Schoolyard Shooting Arrested, Shakiel Basra Still At Large

    Amarpreet Samra, Wanted In Surrey Schoolyard Shooting Arrested, Shakiel Basra Still At Large
     Suspect was taken into custody after he and another man initially escaped when an RCMP officer tried to pull over a red Ford Mustang near a golf course

    Amarpreet Samra, Wanted In Surrey Schoolyard Shooting Arrested, Shakiel Basra Still At Large

    B.C., N.W.T Sign Historic Deal To Jointly Manage Mackenzie River Watershed

    B.C., N.W.T Sign Historic Deal To Jointly Manage Mackenzie River Watershed
    Environment ministers from the neighbouring jurisdictions met in Vancouver to sign the deal, which completes years of negotiations.

    B.C., N.W.T Sign Historic Deal To Jointly Manage Mackenzie River Watershed

    Blue Jays Hashtag Trends No. 1 Worldwide On Twitter During Alds Victory Over Rangers

    Blue Jays Hashtag Trends No. 1 Worldwide On Twitter During Alds Victory Over Rangers
    Bautista hit a three-run home run as Toronto beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 to advance to the American League Championship Series. The victory saw their hashtag trend No. 1 worldwide on Twitter.

    Blue Jays Hashtag Trends No. 1 Worldwide On Twitter During Alds Victory Over Rangers

    Bill C-24 And The 2-Tiered Citizenship In Canada

    Bill C-24 And The 2-Tiered Citizenship In Canada
    Bill C-24 came into effect earlier this year, turning millions of Canadians born abroad (or whose parents or grandparents were born abroad) into second-class citizens.  

    Bill C-24 And The 2-Tiered Citizenship In Canada

    'Misunderstanding' Led To Canadian Flag Being Removed From Manitoba Poll

    'Misunderstanding' Led To Canadian Flag Being Removed From Manitoba Poll
    Elections Canada says a worker at a Virden polling station near the Saskatchewan boundary thought the red in the Canadian flag could be interpreted as support for the Liberal party.

    'Misunderstanding' Led To Canadian Flag Being Removed From Manitoba Poll