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HALIFAX — Officers who shut down a shale gas protest in New Brunswick on Thursday found bombs containing shrapnel, firearms with a large amount of ammunition, knives and bear spray among the protesters, a top RCMP official says.

“The weapons and explosives we seized show that this was no longer a peaceful protest and there was a serious threat to public safety,” Assistant commissioner Roger Brown said on Friday.

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Brown says the Mounties were concerned lives could be in danger if they had not responded Thursday at the site near Rexton.

“Some in the crowd threw rocks and bottles at them and sprayed them with bear spray. Setting police cars on fire created a dangerous situation for everyone in the area, and it was at that point that police were forced to physically confront some in the crowd who refused to obey the law.”

Six police vehicles including an unmarked van were burned Thursday in Rexton after the RCMP moved in to enforce a court-ordered injunction to remove protesters at the site of a compound where SWN Resources stored exploration equipment. A spokeswoman for the police force said Thursday that threats were made against private security guards at the site on Wednesday night.