Whitehorse RCMP have arrested a suspect in relation to last Tuesday’s mail bombing in Port Alice, on Vancouver Island.

Leon Nepper, 73, of Whitehorse, was arrested last Thursday evening and remains in custody.

He appeared in territorial court on Friday afternoon and was due to reappear this afternoon.

Nepper has been charged with sending an explosive device with intent to cause bodily harm and with illegally possessing an explosive device.

His younger brother, Roger Nepper, was seriously injured when he opened the package in Port Alice.

Police evacuated the Greenwood Place seniors’ residence in downtown Whitehorse to make the arrest.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Whitehorse RCMP asked residents of an apartment building located at Fourth Avenue and Lambert Street to temporarily relocate while officers conducted a search related to the active, ongoing investigation,” police said in a statement.

“Our first priority was to the safety of the residents in the building. Residents returned to their homes later in the evening.”

Roger’s wife, Shirley Bowick, told CHEK News that the package exploded when her husband opened it in their Clark Drive home.

“He picked up the package and he comes home, I’m right beside him and he opened it up and it’s a bomb,” she told CHEK.

“His fingertips were basically blown off.”

Bowick said the package had been picked up from the post office in the remote North Island village, addressed to the couple.

She told MyCampbellRiverNow.com she believed the incident was tied to a dispute over money.

She said she had received a few burns from the first explosion, while her husband absorbed the brunt. She called 911 while clearing out the smoke from the bathroom where the package had been opened.

The RCMP said it was believed to be a targeted incident.

Officers from Port Hardy and Campbell River, the RCMP explosive disposal unit, an RCMP explosives dog, forensic identification officers and general investigators were assigned to the case.

Shannon MacGregor said she drove Roger, her neighbour, to the local clinic for treatment.

Earlier, when MacGregor had returned home, from shopping she had seen smoke coming from Rogers house.

Moments later, he appeared at the front door step with his right arm pressed against his chest.

“Roger came to the doorway, standing sideways with his right arm up in the air, moaning,” said MacGregor.

“I said, ‘Are you OK, Roger?’ He said he called the ambulance, the fire department and police ... and he needs to get to the hospital.”

She said Nepper appeared to be in shock and said little during the short drive to the hospital.

His right hand appeared to be seriously injured, MacGregor said.

“His left hand was holding up his right hand.”

Deputy Mayor Bruce Lloyd said the injured man is in his mid-60s, and is known in the community of about 800 people as a former local boxing coach.

“He was a boxer, a very good boxer,” said Lloyd, adding that Nepper has lived in Port Alice for more than 30 years

“He taught boxing when he first moved up here. He taught the whole town boxing.”

Nepper was employed as a mason at the local pulp mill, which has been shut down since March 2015, said Lloyd. Nepper retired about 15 years ago.

– With files from The Canadian Press