Regina man charged with threatening premier, government official in email about COVID-19 measures

A Regina man is facing charges after police say he threatened the lives and safety of Premier Scott Moe and an official from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health via email earlier this month.

The Regina Police Service (RPS) first received a report about theemail which was sent from a fake account to several random people on Oct. 4, RPS said in a news release Monday.

The emailcontained a message about the pandemic and health-related mandates, an RPS spokesperson confirmed with CBC News.

It allegedly listed "non-specific threats to the lives and safety of government officials and law enforcement, but also mentioned two Saskatchewan individuals by name," police said.

The premier's office has confirmed Moe was among the two people targeted in the email, but wouldn't comment further as the matter is now before the courts.

Police said they executed a search warrant of a south Regina home last Friday, after an "extensive investigation."

Tobechi Okwuonu, 38, was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of uttering threats.

He's since been released on "strict conditions," police said.

Okwuonu is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Dec. 1.