The Edmonton Police Service Bomb Squad was in the area of 20 Avenue and 46 Street on Tuesday afternoon and well into the evening dealing with what was believed to be an Improvised Explosive Device found inside a residence.
Houses within one block of the home in question were evacuated, the nearby Pollard Meadows School opened to those who were told to leave their residences while the situation was being resolved.
EPS said that they were conducting a drug investigation when inside a residence they found industrial explosives that were being used for criminal purposes.
“I would say city wide, the citizens aren’t exposed to this very often. This is a rare event, it’s reflected in the manner that we responded to this, “said Duty Officer and Inspector Gary Godziuk with EPS. “ This was a heavily resourced call. It took its time, it had to evolve, and we had to deal with this again in a safe and proper manner.”
Around 10 p.m. residents were allowed to return back to their homes after the explosives were detonated. Several guns were also found on the property.
When asked, police said this incident was not linked to terrorism in any way.
Two people have been arrested in connection to the incident.
EPS is investigating.
With files from Michel Boyer
