Four individuals involved in a probe concerning the manufacturing of explosives and firearms in London, Ontario, are now confronted with 19 additional charges, as per court records submitted on Tuesday. Jerry Tong, Zekun (Alex) Wang, Fei (Frank) Han, and Feiyang (Astrid) Ji were initially charged in January. All four were either students or recent graduates of Western University, with the three men having backgrounds in the university’s engineering department.
The revised set of charges presented to the Ontario Court of Justice raises the total number of counts to 31, covering various offenses jointly against all four suspects or specific to individual accused individuals. The fresh charges encompass possession of five distinct explosive materials, possession of stolen property, and unauthorized access to computer data linked to firearm production.
The investigation, which commenced on January 24 when police responded to a trespassing incident at Western University, led to the arrests of the suspects. Following the arrest of one person outside an engineering building on campus, authorities detained the other three individuals at a residence in the nearby University Heights neighborhood.
A thorough search was conducted by the police at the residence on 212 Chesham Place, where Wang, Han, and Ji resided, along with two other properties in Orléans, Ottawa, and Gatineau, Quebec.
Initially facing multiple firearms charges, including the creation and possession of handguns, the accused now confront additional charges related to firearms possession, with Tong, Wang, and Ji being charged with various firearm-related offenses.
Tong, who is burdened with the majority of charges, is also implicated in events in other cities, such as storing rifles in Orleans, manufacturing a prohibited firearm in Ottawa, and possessing a rifle at an unauthorized location in Quebec. Tong’s possession of a firearm at an unlicensed site is among the accusations.
Moreover, Wang faces allegations of weapon manufacturing during a specified period and breaking into a Western building on a prior date alongside his partner. The suspects are also accused of possessing explosive substances, including pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), trinitrotoluene (TNT), dinitrophenol (DNP), hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), and lead azide.
The accused individuals have differing numbers of charges, with Tong facing 28 counts, Wang facing 20, Han facing 11, and Ji facing 13. The legal proceedings are ongoing, with two suspects released on bail while the other two remain in custody.
Tong opted against requesting bail and is currently detained, while Han was denied bail and remanded in February. Wang was granted bail in March under strict conditions, including house arrest and supervision by two sureties. Ji is also out on bail without sureties.