"Really devastating" IED found in routine traffic stop in Alberta
An IED designed to kill a large number of people was found during a routine traffic stop in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday afternoon 7 April.
According to the Canadian outlet Global News, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) pulled over a car whose registration plate not only did not match the car it was attached to, but was also not registered to any motor vehicle.
Police are understood to have discovered bear mace in the Buick Verano and the driver was also found to be concealing a knife down the side of the driver's seat. Police subsequently arrested the driver and conducted a more thorough search of the car, whereupon they discovered drug paraphernalia and a foam-insulated briefcase which turned out to be an IED filled with hundreds of screws and the wiring.
Speaking to Global News, Neil LeMay, a former RCMP major crimes investigator, said the "destruction and death would have been really, really devastating".
The immediate area, which included a gas station, was evacuated and blocked off while the a police explosives disposal unit was called in to render the device safe. Testing of the IED revealed that the contents of the device were energetic but the battery component was not connected.
The driver, Andrew Timothy Walker, 36, has been charged on 10 counts and has a criminal history of making bombs. He remains in custody and will next appear in court on 22 April.
