In a recent development, court documents filed on Tuesday reveal that the four individuals implicated in a London, Ontario investigation involving the manufacturing of explosives and firearms are now facing 19 additional charges. Jerry Tong, Zekun (Alex) Wang, Fei (Frank) Han, and Feiyang (Astrid) Ji, who were initially charged in January, are all either students or recent graduates of Western University, with the three male suspects having backgrounds in the university’s engineering department.
The revised list of charges submitted to the Ontario Court of Justice has expanded to a total of 31 separate counts. These new charges encompass various offenses, including the possession of specific explosive substances, possession of stolen property, and unauthorized access to computer data related to firearm production.
The investigation, which originated on Jan. 24 following an overnight trespassing incident at Western University involving two individuals, has now culminated in a series of arrests and a thorough search of multiple residences linked to the accused individuals. Police conducted an extensive search at the primary residence on Chesham Place in London, as well as at two additional properties in Orléans, Ottawa, and Gatineau, Quebec.
Initially facing multiple firearms charges, the accused parties have now been charged with additional offenses such as possession of magazines, suppression devices, and prohibited firearms. Tong, in particular, is confronted with various charges spanning different cities, including the possession and manufacturing of firearms at unauthorized locations.
Moreover, the suspects are now accused of possessing an array of explosive substances, including pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), trinitrotoluene (TNT), dinitrophenol (DNP), hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), and lead azide. These charges supplement the existing allegations related to the possession of precursor substances and finished high explosives.
As the legal proceedings continue, Tong remains in custody, while Han was denied bail and returned to custody in February. Wang has been granted bail under stringent conditions, including 24-hour house arrest and supervision by two sureties, each of whom posted a bond of $200,000. Ji is also out on bail without sureties, marking a varied outcome for the four accused individuals.