Ottawa Police Lay Charges Against 3 Suspects In Bank Firebombing

Ottawa police announced charges Saturday against three suspects in the firebombing of a Royal Bank branch in the city last month.

Chief Vern White identified them as Ottawa residents Roger Clement, 58, Claude Haridge, 50, and Matthew Morgan-Brown, 32.

The charges against them include arson causing damage, possession of incendiary material, use of explosives with intent to cause property damage and mischief.

The suspects will appear at an Ottawa courthouse later Saturday.

Police said two of the suspects were also charged with an attack on another Royal Bank branch in Ottawa on Feb. 1, 2010, where two people were observed damaging multiple windows and ATMs with rocks and a hammer.

In last month’s attack, a  firebomb was tossed into a Royal Bank branch on the morning of May 18, an act recorded on video and posted online.

No one was injured, but the lobby area was burned out and damage was estimated at more than $500,000.

An anti-establishment group calling itself FFFC-Ottawa claimed responsibility for the attack and promised further action during the G8 and G20 summit meetings in Huntsville, Ont., and Toronto, next week.

A group statement said the Royal Bank was targeted because it sponsored the Vancouver Olympics, which were “held on stolen indigenous land.”

In announcing the charges, Verne urged Ottawa residents to remain vigilant, before and during the summits.

The RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police were also involved in the investigation. 

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