A 73-year-old Whitehorse man has been arrested in connection with a mail bombing that severely injured a Vancouver Island man earlier this week.

Police say the man was arrested in Whitehorse Tuesday and remains in custody.

During the arrest, Mounties asked residents of a Whitehorse apartment building to temporarily evacuate while they conducted a search.

The arrest comes after Port Alice resident Roger Nepper lost parts of his fingers and suffered shrapnel to his abdomen on Tuesday after opening the explosive package.

His wife, Shirley Bowick, said he was about to undergo a second surgery in a Nanaimo hospital Thursday to remove the shrapnel, which she described as nails.

Police said after it happened that the incident appeared targeted, and the package came from Whitehorse.

It's unclear whether the alleged bomber and victim are known to each other.