Four individuals implicated in a probe involving the manufacturing of explosives and firearms in London, Ontario, are now confronting 19 additional charges, as per court records submitted on Tuesday. Jerry Tong, Zekun (Alex) Wang, Fei (Frank) Han, and Feiyang (Astrid) Ji were initially charged in January. All four had ties to Western University either as students or recent graduates, with the male trio having backgrounds in the engineering field.
The updated set of charges presented to the Ontario Court of Justice brings the total offenses to 31 distinct counts. Some charges are collective against all four suspects, while others are specific to individual defendants. Notably, the fresh charges encompass the possession of five distinct explosive substances, possession of stolen items, and unauthorized access to computer data linked to firearm production.
The investigation, which commenced on Jan. 24, traced back to an incident where two men unlawfully entered a Western University engineering building. Subsequently, one person was apprehended outside the premises, leading law enforcement to a residence in the nearby University Heights area where the other three suspects were detained. Extensive searches were conducted at the Chesham Place residence in London, shared by Wang, Han, and Ji, as well as at two additional residences in Orléans, Ottawa, and Gatineau, Quebec.
Initially facing multiple firearms charges, including handgun manufacturing and possession of a loaded restricted handgun, the quartet now encounters further accusations. Tong, Wang, and Ji are charged with possessing magazines and suppression devices, along with another prohibited firearm. Additionally, Tong and Wang are accused of handling and carelessly storing a rifle. Tong faces a significant number of charges linked to events in other cities, such as storing rifles in Orleans, manufacturing a prohibited firearm in Ottawa, and possessing a rifle at an unauthorized venue in Quebec.
Furthermore, Wang now confronts charges related to weapon manufacturing between September 1, 2025, and January 24, 2026, while both Wang and Tong are accused of breaking into a Western building on October 9, 2025. Court documents also reveal a new series of charges against Tong, Wang, Han, and Ji for possessing explosive substances, including pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), trinitrotoluene (TNT), dinitrophenol (DNP), hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), and lead azide.
The accused individuals have varying numbers of charges: Tong faces 28, Wang faces 20, Han faces 11, and Ji faces 13. As legal proceedings continue, two suspects are out on bail while the other two remain in custody. Tong opted not to seek bail, Wang was granted bail under strict conditions in March, Han was denied bail and remanded in February, and Ji is out on bail without sureties.
