RCMP officers focused on national security have become involved in looking into a reported bomb-making operation that police say included four individuals connected to Western University.
The RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) is offering “investigative support and assistance” to the authorities in London, Ont., according to a spokesperson for the Mounties, who provided limited details.
Three men and one woman – all either current or former students at Western – are facing multiple charges alleging that they were storing chemicals capable of being turned into explosives at a residence just west of campus and had created a firearm.
The charges followed an investigation into trespassing on campus that led police to 212 Chesham Pl., where they reported finding the chemicals last week.
It’s not clear why INSET is involved, and one expert in counterterrorism suggests it’s too soon to make any assumptions about what the accused were up to.
Phil Gurski, a former analyst with Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), points out that certain elements of the case hint at espionage.
WATCH | Charges laid in London:
4 people charged in London, Ont., bomb-making scheme
Three men and one woman linked to Western University face accusations of keeping chemicals that could be used for explosives at a house near campus in London, Ont.
However, other factors don’t match up with what he encountered during his three decades in intelligence work.
Typically, individuals accused of producing bombs for terrorist or “transnational” purposes have clear motivations, he notes, while those implicated here are much younger – all in their 20s – and seem less experienced than what he would expect from spies.
“We need a lot more information … before we can come up with any even remotely tentative conclusions,” Gurski, who now leads Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting, stated.
“At this juncture, there doesn’t seem to be a violent motive behind this. The explosives are serious; the firearm is serious; but what they were seeking to do with that weaponry.. is completely unclear.”
The gun alleged to have been manufactured stands out as an unusual element of this situation since it doesn’t appear related to organized crime, according to Francis Langlois, a professor studying legal and cultural firearm issues at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
Nonetheless, such firearms are becoming increasingly common.
“They are easier than ever to produce; plans are readily available online and access to machines used for printing them has also improved,” Langlois explained.
All four accused individuals remain under police custody.
The house at 212 Chesham Pl., in London is a short distance from Western University. (Alessio Donnini/CBC)
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