Pinhole camera triggers concern in Canada after Boston bombings

The Canadian police and bomb squad have blown up a suspicious package in London, Ontario, which turned out to be nothing more than a pinhole camera.

Photographers and photography students are placing pinhole cameras in various locations, in order to experiment with long-exposure photography. This technique allows them to increase the shutter speed, in order to blur moving subjects or elements, while the light and lit objects create beautiful patterns.

A remotely-controlled robot has been dispatched to destroy a suspicious package, which turned out to be a pinhole camera. Credits: Mark Spowart / Metro News.

Suspicious package in Ivey Park, London turned out to be just a pinhole camera

Unfortunately, such cameras are mistaken for bombs or other explosives because they are placed in black boxes. Passers-by consider them suspicious, as not too many people are aware of pinhole cameras.

Such is the recent case of a person in London, Ontario. The Canadian police received a call from someone who reported that there is a “suspicious package” in one of the city’s parks. The caller said that he was walking around Ivey Park, where he spotted something on the rail.

Ivey Park is relatively near the HMCS Prevost, which consists of the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve Division, in London, Ontario, Canada.

Nerves are a little shot after the Boston bombings, police says

North America was still recovering after the Boston bombings, which occurred one day earlier. The officers went to Ivey Park and they sealed the areas surrounding the package, fearing that another tragedy might occur.

After a while, the bomb squad was called. The explosive-disposal team arrived at the scene and its commander decided to destroy the box using a remotely-controlled robot.

Apparently, the explosion caused quite a noise, but everything turned out just fine. Constable Will Knelsen said that they eventually found out that the box housed a pinhole camera, which was being used as a photography project.

The officer added that the Boston bombings has made people more nervous, therefore they are more aware of the surroundings. However, the police handled the situation according to its standard protocol.

Friend of the pinhole camera owner claims that his friend placed a sign next to the box

A friend of the student, who placed the camera on the rail, took the way of social media website Reddit to explain that his colleague claims that he put a sign next to the pinhole camera.

It appears that the owner of the pinhole camera contacted the police shortly after seeing the article in a newspaper.

It is unlikely that he will face any charges, since Constable Knelsen confirmed that it is not illegal to place a pinhole camera in the park.