When word came down on Friday (Jan. 7) that near-legendary eco-activist Wiebo Ludwig had been detained by RCMP for questioning in the Encana pipeline bombings, I have to confess to an “I told you so” attitude. Wiebo’s efforts to aid the police investigation by communicating with the bomber always had a certain ring of insincerity about them – except for the parts of his open letters to the bomber praising him for raising awareness.

Still, I never thought the authorities had to look much further than Ludwig’s Trickle Creek commune for evidence, and it appears Ludwig’s detention was carried out to aid that search – RCMP thought it might be easier for them to conduct an extensive search of the commune for DNA evidence linking Ludwig or his followers to DNA evidence collected from notes sent by the bomber.

In the end, Ludwig was released after 10 hours – and amidst rumours he might be charged with extortion – while the RCMP said their search of Trickle Creek did turn up additional evidence, although they did not elaborate on what that evidence might be.

Where the investigation goes from here remains unclear, but one thing is almost certain: Ludwig’s stature as a folk legend – no matter how misguided or contemptible that might sound, and it truly sticks in my craw – has been ratcheted up a notch or two, and I’m not sure the authorities had that in mind.