A 21-year-old Ontario man was arrested Sunday after a pipe bomb was found in his car while he attempted to enter Canada through the North Portal border crossing.
The discovery led to some tense moments at the busy port of entry as a building had to be evacuated and the RCMP's explosive disposal unit was called in to neutralize the device.
Derek Joseph Formosa, 21, of Toronto faces a charge of possession of an explosive device and was expected to make his first appearance in court Tuesday morning in Weyburn.
Sgt. Daryl Milo of the Estevan RCMP detachment said through their investigation they have not found any indication that Formosa intended on using the bomb or that he was connected to any sort of terrorist or organized crime groups.
"It looks like it was something that he created as a kid, much younger, and had no means of disposing it and no intentions of using it," Milo said. "He was travelling cross country to go to work and took it as an opportunity to try and dispose of it and hadn't had that opportunity yet as he was re-entering Canada and obviously made some poor decisions, stupid decisions."
The release from the RCMP noted that Canada Border Service Agency officers discovered what they believed to be an explosive device during a search of Formosa's personal effects.
The officers immediately evacuated the building where the vehicle was located and contacted the Estevan RCMP who arrived at the scene and took Formosa into custody. The RCMP's disposal unit was also dispatched to the scene from Regina and detonated the device at around 8:30 that evening.
"It was diligent work (by CBSA officers). They found it, to their credit, and got it away from him. It's disposed of safely now," said Milo.
