Toronto mystery tunnel

TORONTO — Police are still puzzled over the origins of a mystery tunnel that was discovered in the city last month, and are asking the public to step forward if they have any information.

Toronto police announced the existence of the tunnel Tuesday. It's located in a heavily wooded area of Black Creek Parkland near Rexall Centre, a tennis stadium. The police have found no new leads in their ongoing investigation, Constable Victor Kwong told Mashable on Wednesday.

If you built a tunnel near the Rexall Centre in #Toronto give us a call, k? 416-808-2222 — Chris Boddy (@TPSChrisBoddy) February 24, 2015

On Jan. 14, a conservation officer stumbled upon the tunnel, which was enclosed by a wooden lid and covered with dirt to conceal its appearance. Inside the 10 ft. hole was a ladder leading down to a chamber that was 6 ft. 4 in. tall, 2 ft. 10 in. wide and nearly 34 ft. long.

The officer then notified police, which later excavated, photographed and examined the chamber, before filling it in.

"At this time, we are unable to determine who constructed this chamber, nor can we determine what the motive was for building it," Toronto police Deputy Chief Mark Saunders said in a press conference Tuesday.

The tunnel's discovery prompted fears of possible extremist attacks, as the Rexall Centre is one of the venues that will be used during the Pan American Games, which Toronto is hosting this summer.

Tuesday's announcement came just days after the release of a video purported to be by Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked extremist group al-Shabab, which urged Muslims to attack shopping malls in Western countries, including Canada's West Edmonton Mall. Last year, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper condemned a deadly shooting in the country's capital of Ottawa as a "terrorist" attack.

Still, Toronto police were quick to quash any suggestion that the tunnel posed a danger to the public or the games, as it did not lead to a particular venue or "come up covertly anywhere," according to Saunders.

"There is nothing that suggests that this is criminal in any way, shape or form," Saunders said. "There's no criminal offense for digging a hole ... Until we find intent, that's what will cross it over into a potential criminal aspect if we get that evidence."

Saunders, who is also the executive officer in charge of the Pan Am Games, added that all of its event venues have a "very robust security mechanism in place."

Still, the person or people who made the tunnel could face penalties. Police spokesperson Kwong said there may be "bylaw contraventions" for digging in a public park.

Inside the chamber, police found moisture-resistant lightbulbs, a sump pump for expelling ground water, a pulley system likely to remove dirt, a red portable gas container, work gloves, a wheel barrow, and food and beverage containers.

There was also a rosary with a Remembrance Day poppy attached to it, which hung from a nail hammered into the wall.

Whoever dug the tunnel and built the chamber — completely by hand, using no machinery — "clearly had some level of expertise in ensuring its structural integrity," as they used plywood walls and ceiling reinforced with 2-by-8 wood framing, Saunders said.

Inside, it was comfortable and not cold, he added, as there was a gas generator within a smaller hole nearby the chamber, which supplied power.

Torontonians have been buzzing about the mysterious tunnel since CBC News first reported the story Monday.

Naturally a parody account, @TorontoTunnel, debuted on Twitter shortly afterward, and offered a possible suspect: