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Canada: Truth Behind a Mystery Tunnel Toronto Police Say Tunnel Mystery Is Solved
(about 2 hours later)
Toronto’s mystery tunnel has turned out to be a place for a couple of guys to get away from it all, more a “man cave” than a terrorist threat. After being stumped for more than a month by a 33-foot-long, carefully reinforced tunnel to nowhere, the Toronto Police said Monday that they had identified two men in their 20s who did the digging. Because the tunnel — which was lined with plywood and lumber — was near a tennis complex at York University that will host Pan American Games events this summer, there had been speculation that the hole had been intended for some sort of a terrorist attack. The police said the identities of the tunnel’s creators were discovered through a public appeal for information. He said Monday, “We are comfortable that there was no criminal intention, no nefarious reason for the tunnel.” The men have not been charged with a crime, the police are not releasing their names. OTTAWA — Toronto’s mystery tunnel has turned out to be a place for a couple of guys to get away from it all, more a “man cave” than a terrorist threat.
After being stumped for more than a month by a 33-foot-long, hand-dug and carefully reinforced tunnel to nowhere, the Toronto Police said Monday that they had identified two men in their 20s who did the backbreaking work.
“These two guys dug a hole to hang out,” a getaway, Constable Victor Kwong said. He added, “Kids do it, but I’ve never seen anyone in their 20s do it.”
Because the tunnel — which was narrow, damp and lined with plywood and lumber — was near a tennis complex at York University, which will host Pan American Games events this summer, there had been speculation that the hole was intended for some sort of a terrorist attack.
Constable Kwong said its creators’ identities were discovered through a public appeal for information last week. After interviewing the men and people who know them, Constable Kwong said, “We are comfortable that there was no criminal intention, no nefarious reason for the tunnel.”
The men have not been charged with a crime, so the police are not releasing their names.
“The thing is that people think that there’s a lot more to this than there is,” said Mark Pugash, another police spokesman.
The men selected the heavily wooded area for its seclusion and proximity to their neighborhood, Constable Kwong said. The pair, he added, have no connection to the university, the tennis facility or the Pan Am Games.
After coming across a pile of earth from the excavation in January, a conservation officer discovered the tunnel entrance hidden under dirt and leaves. In a smaller hole nearby was an electrical power generator that operated its lights, an air compressor and a sump pump. A plywood cover in that hole was lined with foam, apparently intended to muffle the sound of the generator.
While the tunnel appeared to be expertly reinforced with plywood and 2-by-8-inch lumber, Constable Kwong said that the tunnelers have no training in construction or carpentry.
The police filled in the tunnel as a safety measure.
“It’s not that we’re saying it’s O.K. to dig a hole anywhere,” Constable Kwong said.
But even if the tunnelers have breached municipal bylaws or conservation regulations, they apparently have nothing to fear. Rick Sikorski, a spokesman for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, said that given that the police had closed their case, it did not plan to pursue the men.