A man is facing explosives-related charges after Calgary police found improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
While the Calgary Police Service confirmed the IEDs posed a legitimate threat, investigators don’t believe there was a specific target or connections to terrorism-related groups.
“We know many people will have concerns about the potential motivation and target of these devices,” general investigations unit S/Sgt. Mark Neufeld said in a statement.
“A thorough investigation has been conducted and we can say at this time, there is no information to suggest a specific person or group of people were targeted, nor do we believe the accused has connections to any terrorist organizations.”
Police said a witness driver saw a van parked on the outside shoulder of Deerfoot Trail just south of Country Hills Boulevard at around 4 a.m. on Feb. 22. When that witness approached the van, police said a person stepped in front of them, pointing a gun at them.
The driver found a safe place to pull over and called police.
Officers arrived and made a “high-risk vehicle stop” on the van, a 1997 Chevrolet Venture, taking a man and woman into custody. Officers found a Remington 870 12-gauge nearby, with one shell in it.
When police searched the van at their forensic crime scenes unit, officers found a bag with what appeared to be an IED. Following tactical unit intervention, three IEDs, homemade body armour and an “assault style .22 rifle” were found in the van, police said in a news release Thursday.
“The exceptional professionalism of our frontline officers and the skill of our tactical unit kept the public safe and our officers safe throughout this ordeal by successfully containing and safely dealing with the devices. This incident posed a very real threat to officers and citizens alike,” Neufeld said.
A search warrant for a house in the 1200 block of 8 Avenue N.E. revealed two more IEDs, three flares, two smoke bombs and two imitation handguns, police said.
The woman arrested at the traffic stop was charged with possession of a concealed weapon and a small amount of meth. She has been released from police custody. Police did not release the woman’s name.
Wayne McGuire, 52, faces 15 charges including making an explosive substance, possessing an explosive substance and other weapons-related offences. McGuire is due to appear in court on Friday.