Multi-City Search Warrants Point to Weapons And Explosives Manufacturing by Western Students, Police Say

Police in Ottawa executed a warrant at a home in Orleans, an eastern suburb of the city.

LONDON/OTTAWA — London Police Service confirmed Friday that officers believe four Western University students and graduates “were manufacturing firearms and explosives,” based on items seized during search warrants executed outside the city.

“As a result of a search warrant executed at the home in London, in addition to chemicals, additional firearms and a quantity of explosives were found late last week,” the force’s fourth update on the fast-evolving case says.

“Based on items seized during the original and subsequent search warrants outside of the city, investigators believe the accused were manufacturing firearms and explosives,” it adds.

The London Police Service also acknowledged what has been reported by The Bureau—that the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), which handles cases involving terrorism, espionage, and foreign interference, is providing support to the investigation.

Police confirmed that four individuals charged in connection with the case either were or currently are Western University students. The accused are Jerry Tong, 27, of Gatineau, Quebec; Zekun Wang, 26; Fei Han, 25; and Feiyang (Astrid) Ji, 21.

Tong faces the most extensive charges—11 individual counts plus a joint manufacturing charge—including resisting arrest, breaking and entering with intent, occupying a motor vehicle with a firearm, manufacturing a prohibited firearm, and unlawful possession of explosives.

London Police said “Our priority is keeping everyone informed while protecting the integrity of the investigation. The accused’s motives are still under investigation.”

While police maintain their presence at the University Heights address, their investigation has reached beyond London’s borders. Earlier this week, officers attended a property on Chancery Crescent in Ottawa.

When The Bureau visited the Chancery Crescent home on Thursday, a white Audi Q5 with Quebec license plates sat in the driveway. The vehicle’s interior door panel appeared to have been dismantled, and a cushion bearing Chinese characters reading “Shengming” was visible on the seat.

No one answered the door. Land title records show the Ottawa property is registered to an individual with the last name Tong and an individual with the last name Wang, although the full names are not the same as the two accused in the case.

The investigation began in the early morning hours of January 24, when Western University campus police pursued a trespasser across the engineering quad at 1:40 a.m. When London Police arrived to assist with the arrest, officers found a loaded handgun at the scene.

Police traced the trespasser and a second suspect to 212 Chesham Avenue—a student house less than two kilometers from campus—where investigators discovered what London Police described as “numerous precursor substances and finished high explosives” along with multiple firearms and evidence of weapons manufacturing.

The four accused are scheduled to appear in court in the coming weeks.