One of two homemade pipe bombs found in Medicine Hat since November 2022. One man has been charged in relation to the incidents. (Image From Facebook/Medicine Hat Police Service)

By Chris Brown

Pipe bombs were placed with specific targets in mind, says MHPS

May 3, 2023 | 3:49 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat police say two homemade pipe bombs found in the city since November 2022 were both targeted incidents.

The first pipe bomb was found in the area of Terrace Drive and 11th Avenue NE last year. The second was found around Cactus Street SW on April 1.

Last week police arrested James Jerard McNulty, who is charged with possession of a controlled substance, two counts of making or possessing an explosive substance and four counts of failing to comply with a release order.

MHPS Staff Sgt. Jason Graham says that even though the placement of the pipe bombs was targeted, they still posed a serious threat to public safety. That includes everything from property destruction and minor injury to even death.

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“They are bombs, pipe bombs. They’re meant to inflict injury or damage,” Graham said on Wednesday. “I can say without again getting into specifics that this was a targeted incident, both of them, and this individual Mr. McNulty and his intended targets were known. I can’t get into specifics as to why they were placed in the specific locations that they were. But we’re also confident in saying that they were specific targets.”

Graham added that police know these sorts of incidents garner a lot of attention from the public, which wants to know as much as possible. He says they won’t release any information that could jeopardize an ongoing investigation.

“And it was vital in this situation in these two situations that we held on to some of the information because it helped us conclude this in a successful manner,” he said.

He added anyone who finds a device that looks suspicious should immediately call the police as they have professionals who are trained to deal with them.

McNulty was arrested in the same block where a high-risk incident took place on Tuesday evening. MHPS says the two incidents are not related and involve two different people.