Roger Charles Bell
Encyclopedia
Roger Charles Bell is a former Canadian
secondary school teacher and convicted criminal from Prince Edward Island
. Born in Murray River
in 1944, Bell is a graduate of Dalhousie University
and taught high school chemistry at several schools in eastern Prince Edward Island.
explosions in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Halifax, Nova Scotia dating from 1988-1996. During this time, a series of communications to media and law enforcement officials claimed that the bombings were undertaken by a group calling itself Loki 7. Bell was convicted in 1997 on charges of exploding four pipe bombs over a period of eight years and was given a nine-year sentence which he served at the Springhill Institution
in Nova Scotia.
After a 6 year lull, a pipe bomb planted in a trash can in Halifax's Point Pleasant Park
was discovered in 1994. Law enforcement were alerted and the bomb was defused with no damage being reported.
On April 20, 1995, one day after the Oklahoma City bombing
attack, a powerful pipe bomb that was planted under a wood-framed wheelchair ramp on the north side of Province House
in Charlottetown exploded in the mid-morning hours. The explosion occurred several minutes after a class of school children had passed through the area. Over 20 windows were damaged on the building and shrapnel and debris was thrown around the area. One injury was reported by an individual sitting on a nearby park bench who received a broken ankle and severed blood vessels from the shrapnel and the shockwave. After this explosion, police and media (ATV News
) received the first communiqué from Loki 7.
On June 25, 1996, the Prince Edward Island station of the CBC
received a warning from Loki 7 about a bomb located at a nearby propane
terminal. Law enforcement evacuated the surrounding area and discovered the device affixed to a large above-ground propane storage tank. Several empty garbage trucks were placed around the tank to shield potential blast effects and police bomb squads removed the device using a water cannon. It subsequently exploded but did not cause any damage to the propane terminal or other equipment.
. It was not until after the 1995 bombing at Province House that all three were linked together.
The name Loki 7 was also a source of consternation. Police knew that Loki
was the Norse god of mischief
. As with previous correspondence from Loki 7, the swastika
-emblazoned missive ended with the declaration "Heil, Thor
."
Given the odd nature of the previous letters it was considered initially by some investigators to be a prank, rather than actual contact from the bomber(s). This changed after the 1996 bombing when a letter from Loki 7 described precisely where to find a bomb that had been left at the propane terminal.
Each letter contained references to "venal injustice officials" and "crypto-Zionist producers" but revealed little about potential motives. Despite some of the neo-Nazi rhetoric, police were not led to believe that Loki 7 represented a white supremacist group.
The Charlottetown Police Department
, along with major crime investigators and criminal profilers with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
, assembled a task force to solve the case. Prior to the 1996 propane terminal bombing, Charlottetown Police had 3 investigators working on the file and this was increased to 6 personnel with an unconfirmed number from the RCMP.
Roger Bell had gained the interest of Charlottetown Police following the 1988 bombing but he had been one of many at the time and given the 6 year lull (7 on Prince Edward Island) in activity, he received less interest over time. Less than 1 month after the 1996 bombing, the joint task force had narrowed the field of suspects which once again included Bell. He was placed under 24-hour surveillance that August and arrested that fall.
Bell pleaded guilty and was convicted the following year and sentenced to 9 years in a federal penitentiary. He was released for parole in 2006.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
secondary school teacher and convicted criminal from Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
. Born in Murray River
Murray River, Prince Edward Island
Murray River is a Canadian village Kings County Prince Edward Island.Located in the province's South-Eastern corner, Murray River is bisected by a river of the same name. The town is located at the end of navigation on the river and hosts a small wharf for fishing and recreational vessel.The late ...
in 1944, Bell is a graduate of Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
and taught high school chemistry at several schools in eastern Prince Edward Island.
Criminal conviction
Bell was arrested in 1997 and charged in connection with a series of pipe bombPipe bomb
A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device, a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion, and the fragmentation of the pipe itself creates potentially...
explosions in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Halifax, Nova Scotia dating from 1988-1996. During this time, a series of communications to media and law enforcement officials claimed that the bombings were undertaken by a group calling itself Loki 7. Bell was convicted in 1997 on charges of exploding four pipe bombs over a period of eight years and was given a nine-year sentence which he served at the Springhill Institution
Springhill Institution
The Springhill Institution is a Canadian federal corrections facility located in the town of Springhill, Nova Scotia.It was opened on 15 October 1967 on the southwestern edge of the former coal mining town on the edge of the Cobequid Hills; occupying 167 hectares of land on a plateau overlooking...
in Nova Scotia.
Bombings
A pipe bomb exploded outside the Sir Louis Henry Davies Law Courts in Charlottetown in October 1988. The bomb was obscured in a flower bed and exploded at 0600, causing no structural damage, although windows were broken and damage was sustained to the law library.After a 6 year lull, a pipe bomb planted in a trash can in Halifax's Point Pleasant Park
Point Pleasant Park
Point Pleasant Park is a large, partially forested municipal park at the southern tip of the Halifax peninsula. It once hosted several artillery batteries, and a well-preserved 18th century Martello tower can be found there...
was discovered in 1994. Law enforcement were alerted and the bomb was defused with no damage being reported.
On April 20, 1995, one day after the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
attack, a powerful pipe bomb that was planted under a wood-framed wheelchair ramp on the north side of Province House
Province House (Prince Edward Island)
Province House is where the Prince Edward Island Legislature, known as the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, has met since 1847. The building is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown; it is Canada's second-oldest seat of government.- History...
in Charlottetown exploded in the mid-morning hours. The explosion occurred several minutes after a class of school children had passed through the area. Over 20 windows were damaged on the building and shrapnel and debris was thrown around the area. One injury was reported by an individual sitting on a nearby park bench who received a broken ankle and severed blood vessels from the shrapnel and the shockwave. After this explosion, police and media (ATV News
CTV Atlantic
CTV Atlantic is a system of four television stations in the Canadian Maritimes, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of Bell Media...
) received the first communiqué from Loki 7.
On June 25, 1996, the Prince Edward Island station of the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
received a warning from Loki 7 about a bomb located at a nearby propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
terminal. Law enforcement evacuated the surrounding area and discovered the device affixed to a large above-ground propane storage tank. Several empty garbage trucks were placed around the tank to shield potential blast effects and police bomb squads removed the device using a water cannon. It subsequently exploded but did not cause any damage to the propane terminal or other equipment.
Investigation
Law enforcement initially had no leads following the 1988 and 1994 bombings, although the 1988 case had received much speculation from local residents who thought it might be linked to organized crimeOrganized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. It was not until after the 1995 bombing at Province House that all three were linked together.
Communiqués
Communications from Loki 7 were taken seriously but with suspicion since most of the information could have been gleaned from media reports. Police were also puzzled by how long it took the bomber or bombers to claim credit for each action.The name Loki 7 was also a source of consternation. Police knew that Loki
Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
was the Norse god of mischief
Mischief
Mischief is a vexatious or annoying action, or, conduct or activity that playfully causes petty annoyance. Young children, when they hear of mischief, think of practical jokes....
. As with previous correspondence from Loki 7, the swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
-emblazoned missive ended with the declaration "Heil, Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
."
Given the odd nature of the previous letters it was considered initially by some investigators to be a prank, rather than actual contact from the bomber(s). This changed after the 1996 bombing when a letter from Loki 7 described precisely where to find a bomb that had been left at the propane terminal.
Each letter contained references to "venal injustice officials" and "crypto-Zionist producers" but revealed little about potential motives. Despite some of the neo-Nazi rhetoric, police were not led to believe that Loki 7 represented a white supremacist group.
The Charlottetown Police Department
Charlottetown Police Department
Charlottetown Police Department is the police force for the City of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.The force has 74 officers and 14 staffers...
, along with major crime investigators and criminal profilers with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
, assembled a task force to solve the case. Prior to the 1996 propane terminal bombing, Charlottetown Police had 3 investigators working on the file and this was increased to 6 personnel with an unconfirmed number from the RCMP.
Roger Bell had gained the interest of Charlottetown Police following the 1988 bombing but he had been one of many at the time and given the 6 year lull (7 on Prince Edward Island) in activity, he received less interest over time. Less than 1 month after the 1996 bombing, the joint task force had narrowed the field of suspects which once again included Bell. He was placed under 24-hour surveillance that August and arrested that fall.
Bell pleaded guilty and was convicted the following year and sentenced to 9 years in a federal penitentiary. He was released for parole in 2006.