Recounting the story about unknowingly handling a mail bomb delivered to his automotive shop, Ollie Ehrmantrout said he’s lucky he wasn’t seriously injured.

"I was shaking it by my head, trying to listen if anything was in it,” said Ehrmantrout. “We were bending it. Brought it up front there."

The suspicious package that arrived in the office at Ollie’s Auto had Iris Amsel’s name on it.

She works at James Automotive, which shares a lot with Ollie’s, and staff left the package on her desk while she was away from work.

On Friday, July 3, a mail bomb exploded at a River Avenue law firm and seriously injured Maria Mitousis – Iris Amsel’s lawyer.

"All of a sudden, nobody wanted to touch the package. Close up the shop,” said Ehrmantrout. “Iris came back. We sent her a picture of the actual physical package and she was like, ‘Don't open it!’"

Winnipeg police used a water cannon attached to their robot to detonate the package at the auto shop on Saturday, July 4.

The next day, the bomb unit blew up a third explosive package at a law firm on Stradbrook Avenue.

Realizing he held a bomb in his hands, and actually shook it next to his ear, leaves Ehrmantrout feeling fortunate to have escaped harm, and also shocked that someone would send explosives through the mail.

"You know, you've got to put it in the package. You've got to make the bomb and put it in there,” he said. “And then you've got to mail it. And then you've got to know that when you mail it, it's out of your hands. Whatever happens, happens. And not just one but two, three things get mailed out? C'mon."

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said some of the letter carriers who handed the packages were shaken by the incidents and required time off work.

Canada Post said protocols have been reviewed but won’t get into specifics about that for security reasons.

Police arrested 49-year-old Guido Amsel in connection with the mail bombs.

All three were sent to people connected to a lawsuit filed against him by his ex-wife Iris Amsel.

He faces two counts of attempted murder, one count of aggravated assault and several charges related to possessing and sending explosives.

Amsel’s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday.