Four individuals implicated in a probe involving the manufacturing of explosives and firearms in London, Ontario, are now facing 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. These individuals, who were either students or recent graduates of Western University, had ties to the engineering department. The updated list of charges filed at the Ontario Court of Justice has raised the total counts to 31, encompassing joint allegations against all four and specific charges against individual defendants.
The fresh charges comprise the possession of five distinct explosive materials, possession of stolen goods, and access to computer data related to manufacturing firearms. The investigative process, originating from a trespassing incident at Western on Jan. 24, led to the arrests of two individuals at the university’s engineering building and subsequent detentions at a residence in the University Heights area.
Law enforcement conducted an extensive search at the house in 212 Chesham Place, where Wang, Han, and Ji resided, along with additional properties in Orléans, Ottawa, and Gatineau. Initial arrests included multiple firearms charges, such as handgun manufacturing and possession of a loaded restricted handgun. Tong, Wang, and Ji now face additional charges involving magazines, suppression devices, and possession of other prohibited firearms, with Tong and Wang accused of handling and carelessly storing a rifle.
Tong faces a majority of the charges, including storing rifles in Orléans, manufacturing a prohibited firearm in Ottawa, and possessing a rifle at an unauthorized site in Quebec. Despite holding a firearms license, Tong is charged with possessing a firearm at an unapproved location not specified on his license.
Further accusations against Wang and Tong relate to incidents predating their arrests. Wang is charged with weapon manufacturing between Sept. 1, 2025, and Jan. 24, 2026, while both individuals are accused of breaking into a Western building on Oct. 9, 2025. The accused are now charged with possessing explosive materials, namely pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), trinitrotoluene (TNT), dinitrophenol (DNP), hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), and lead azide.
The total charges faced by each accused person are as follows: Tong (28), Wang (20), Han (11), and Ji (13). While two individuals are out on bail, two remain in custody. Tong did not seek bail and remains detained, Han was denied bail and remanded in February, Wang was granted bail in March under stringent conditions, and Ji is out on bail without sureties.