One of three men charged in relation to the Royal Bank firebombing in May offered a guilty plea in court Tuesday.
Roger Clement, 58, says he is responsible for the incident on May 18 that made national news and shocked residents of Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood.
A firebomb that went off in the middle of the night closed the bank for months and provoked talks of it being an act of terrorism.
At the time, a self-proclaimed anarchist group called Fighting for Freedom Coalition Ottawa claimed responsibility for the firebombing and added they would be at the G8/G20 summits.
A video posted online proved to be Clement's downfall.
"There are times when there are strong evidence against your client and then it becomes about getting a fair sentence for that person," said Clement's lawyer Lawrence Greenspon.
The retired public servant was caught on camera; video evidence proved to be his undoing.
A bank surveillance video captured Clement and a second unidentified man entering the ATM area.
Clement was carrying a pail of gasoline and another man lit a molotov cocktail and started the fire.
Matthew Morgan-Brown, co-accused in the crime, has had his charges suspended because the judge says there is not enough evidence.
Brown's lawyer says his client is an easy target.
"My client has been involved in a lot of political protests-- considered the usual suspect, but the evidence wasn't there," said Ian Carter.
The Crown has one year to come up with sufficient material against him.
The third co-accused, Claude Haridge, faces lesser charges of careless storage of ammunition. His case is still before the courts.
Clement is being held in custody until his sentencing hearing on Dec. 6.
With a report from CTV's Kate Eggins…
