The day after a minivan was set ablaze outside Vancouver City Hall, a 78-year-old man has been criminally charged.
Counts of arson to property, possession of explosives, possession of incendiary material and mischief have been approved against Thien Ngo, authorities announced Monday.
The alarming incident happened Sunday evening along 12th Avenue, where a 911 caller reported seeing a man lighting the minivan on fire near the main entrance to City Hall.
While no one was injured during the incident, responding firefighters said they located approximately 100 litres of unignited gasoline inside the vehicle.
One day later, the motive remains a mystery.
In a statement, Sgt. Steve Addison of the Vancouver Police Department said investigators believe the alleged arson was “an isolated incident and that the suspect acted alone.”
A witness told CTV News she saw a suspect kneeling beside the minivan as it was burning on Sunday, watching the flames, until emergency crews arrived and placed him under arrest.
“He was very calm when the police put handcuffs on him,” Janna Bentley said following the incident. “He didn’t try to get away or anything.”
Ngo remained in police custody as of Monday afternoon.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Kaija Jussinoja