Police Appeal To Solve Toronto Tunnel Mystery

Police in Toronto are appealing for help to solve the mystery of a tunnel found near a sports centre at the city's York University.

They say they want to know who built the 33ft-long chamber - and why.

It was discovered after a local conservation officer came across a large mound of earth in woodland yards from a perimeter fence.

He called police who found a variety of objects inside including a gas generator and a sump pump to remove ground water.

The tunnel lay 10 feet below the ground and was over six feet high and three feet wide, and supported by planks of wood.

Police believe it was dug entirely by hand using a pulley system and had been inhabited as recently as this winter.

A rosary with a Remembrance Day poppy was found hanging from a nail, together with food and drink containers, a wheel barrow and moisture-resistant light bulbs.

Stressing no laws had been broken, deputy police chief Mark Saunders said: "We’re trying to find and establish who built it, why they built it and what their intentions were.

“There is nothing to suggest criminality. I don’t have a working theory. We’re open. We go with the evidence.”

Mr Sanders added: "This was built with a considerable amount of sophistication. The individuals responsible for building it clearly had some expertise in structural integrity.”

He said Toronto police had consulted with provincial, national and international partners and had discovered no links to a terrorist threat.

The tunnel has now been filled in.