Alberta RCMP say a 36-year-old man has been charged after a traffic stop led to the discovery of an improvised explosive device (IED) in Sherwood Park.

Mounties say around 1:30 a.m. on Apr. 7, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in a parking lot near Pembina Road and Broadmoor Boulevard after determining that a license plate did not match the vehicle it was mounted to.

During the traffic stop, Mounties reportedly noticed bear mace inside the vehicle and the driver trying to conceal what was later determined to be a knife, down the side of the driver’s seat.

The driver was taken into custody, which led to a further search of the vehicle, where police were able to find and seize drug paraphernalia and an IED.

Once the IED was found, police evacuated the area, which included a gas station, and called the Explosives Disposal Unit (EDU) for assistance.

The EDU was able to determine that the contents of the device were energetic; however, the battery component was not connected. 

RCMP took 36-year-old Andrew Timothy Walker into custody and have since charged him with various charges, including possession of a weapon, possession of an explosive, failing to comply with a drug demand, impaired driving, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and resisting a peace officer.

Walker will appear in court on Apr. 22.

An improvised explosive device (IED) found inside a vehicle in Sherwood Park. (Credit: Alberta RCMP)