Police Say Homemade Bombs Found At Calgary Man's House Posed A 'Legitimate Threat'

Calgary police have charged a 52-year-old man after officers found several homemade explosive devices and weapons in his vehicle and home last week.

In a statement released on Thursday, police said the discovery was made following an incident on the southbound Deerfoot Trail at 4 a.m on February 15 when a driver spotted a van parked in the righthand shoulder.

“As the driver approached the van, a person stepped into the laneway in front of the witness and pointed a firearm at the witness. The driver found a safe place to pull over and called police,” the police said.

Officers conducted a vehicle stop on the suspect van, a 1997 Chevrolet Venture, and a man and a woman were taken into custody.

The woman was charged for having a small amount of methamphetamine on her and for concealing a weapon and has since been released.

Officers also located a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with one shell nearby.

After a search of the van, officers found a bag containing what appeared to be an improvised explosive device. The tactical unit was called in and three improvised explosive devices, homemade body armor, and an assault-style rifle were found in total.

A search warrant was conducted on a residence in the 1200 block of Eighth Ave. N.E. later that day, where “two more devices believed to be improvised explosives, three flares, two smoke bombs, and two imitation handguns” were found, police said.

The man, named by police as Wayne McGuire, is now facing 15 charges which include making an explosive substance, possessing an explosive substance, and other weapon-related offenses.

“This incident posed a very real threat to officers and citizens alike," Staff Sergeant Mark Neufeld said. "We know many people will have concerns about the potential motivation and target of these devices."

“There is no information to suggest a specific person or group of people were targeted, nor do we believe the accused has connections to any terrorist organizations,” he added.