Suspicious package was bomb
A pipe bomb in a car near the RCMP headquarters has sparked a major investigation
Langley RCMP cordoned off an area around the main detachment.
Photograph by: Heather Colpitts , Langley Advance
What started out as a report of suspicious activity early Monday morning evolved into an incident involving the RCMP explosives disposal crew dealing with a suspicious package, a vehicle being seized and a person questioned.
By mid-week, police had confirmed that the incident was not a hoax or a case of mistaken identification.
"The suspicious package located by the EDU [Explosives Disposal Unit]. was in fact a pipe bomb," said Const. Craig van Herk.
A 29-year-old Abbotsford man has been arrested and police are recommending charges of possession of explosives without a lawful excuse. He may also face a possession of a controlled substance charge after a small amount of drugs was found in the vehicle, said van Herk.
The exact circumstances around the discovery of the car and the bomb inside, however, are not being revealed.
Langley RCMP Cpl. Patrick Davies said there was a report of suspicious activity early Nov. 12. He could not say the time or location but it centred on a vehicle.
"It was found in the Langley area," he said.
The RCMP decided to investigate the vehicle and put it in one of its bays.
"A vehicle was towed to the detachment," he said.
Davies said that the police made the decision to transport the vehicle to protect the investigation and evidence.
As part of the incident and for an abundance of caution, the RCMP cordoned off the area around the detachment but police operations carried on, he noted.
"At no time was the detachment completely closed," Davies said.
While part of the area was cordoned off, the EDU was sending a wheeled robot out to check out the situation.
The Langley Township Fire Department and B.C. Ambulance were on alert at the scene in case they were needed.
The explosives team "rendered" the suspicious package safe and studied it, determining that it was explosive.
The investigation is being handled now by the Langley RCMP Serious Crime Section, and it is ongoing and highly active, said van Herk.
"It's a fairly significant issue, it's not something we see day to day," he said.
The suspect in the case was not previously known to police. Van Herk could not say if investigators have some idea of the intended use of the bomb.
Langley RCMP cordoned off an area around the main detachment.
Photograph by: Heather Colpitts , Langley Advance
