Accused in London, Ont. bomb-making scheme face new charges of manufacturing firearms

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Charges continue to mount against four people accused of allegedly stockpiling chemicals that could be used to make explosives, including new allegations that they were manufacturing a handgun.

The new charges were revealed during a virtual bail hearing in London, Ont. on Monday which saw all of the accused slapped with four new firearm related offences.

Police said last week that they’re also facing charges for unlawful possession of explosives, among other offences.

Three of the accused were living in the same northwest London home, in a residential neighbourhood near Western University, that was the site of a police search lasting days. A second Gatineau, QC. address connected to the fourth member of the group was also searched.

The accused were currently attending, or were alumni, at Western University.

London police said last Tuesday when they annouced the arrest of the three men and one woman that the chemicals had been found in the London home, and that the probe was prompted after a trespassing call on campus just days earlier.

That call came in at 1:40 a.m on Saturday Jan. 24 to an undisclosed location on campus.

Who is charged with what

Jerry Tong, 27, of Ottawa, is facing the following 11 charges:

carrying a concealed weapon, careless use of a firearm, possessing a loaded regulated firearm, resisting arrest, break and enter with intent, occupying a motor vehicle with a firearm, possessing an explosive substance, storing a restricted weapon in a careless manner, possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing a loaded firearm at the residence and manufacturing a prohibited firearm.

Red fire truck parked on snow covered road on residential street. — Four people have been charged in connection with the investigation on Chesham Place, with multiple emergency crews involved in making sure the area was safe. (Kendra Seguin / CBC News)

Zekun Wang, 26, of London is facing seven charges:

Break and enter with intent, occupying a motor vehicle with a firearm, possessing an explosive substance, storing a restricted weapon in a careless manner, possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing a loaded firearm at the residence and manufacturing a prohibited firearm.

Fei (Frank) Han, 25, of London is accused of:

unlawful possession of explosives, including several precursor substances and finished high explosives, storing a restricted weapon in a careless manner, possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing a loaded firearm at the residence and manufacturing a prohibited firearm.

Feiyang (Astrid) Ji, 21, of London is charged with:

unlawful possession of explosives, including several precursor substances and finished high explosives, storing a restricted weapon in a careless manner, possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing a loaded firearm at the residence and manufacturing a prohibited firearm.

CBC News reached out to all four of the accused’s lawyers for statements. Han and Tong’s lawyers declined, while Wang and Ji’s lawyers did not respond.

All four remain in police custody, with bail hearings scheduled in the coming days.

London police previously closed several streets around the London house for an investigation, but reopened them Monday afternoon.