Highway propane bomb threat standoff ends

A Toronto-area man who threatened to detonate a propane bomb in his car on a major highway was arrested Tuesday after a three-hour standoff.

The incident began about 9:30 p.m. Monday in the southbound lanes of Highway 400 north of Toronto when the man pulled over to the shoulder and contacted police threatening to detonate several propane tanks strapped together in his car, CTV News reported.

The highway was closed in both directions, creating lengthy traffic backups on side roads, police said.

The York Region Emergency Response Unit and Toronto bomb squad officers surrounded the scene and communicated with the man using a remote-controlled robot, the Toronto Star said.

After three hours, Roderick Anderson, 44, surrendered and was arrested on numerous charges, the Star said.

Northbound lanes of the highway reopened at 2:15 a.m., and the southbound lanes an hour and a half later, the report said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International