Toronto tunnel mystery solved: Police say two men had no criminal intent

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/02/toronto-tunnel-sports-venue-mystery-case-closed

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Police in Canada have concluded that there was no criminal intent behind a mysterious tunnel discovered near a major sports venue after identifying and interviewing the two men responsible, a spokesman said on Monday.

Constable Victor Kwong said tips from the public helped them identify and interview two men in their 20s responsible for building the underground chamber, adding it’s been determined there was never any danger to public safety.

He said the pair told investigators they built the tunnel for “personal reasons” and that their explanation has been verified and the case closed with no charges.

“It was a place for them to hang out. They started out as goal to make a cool place and that’s what they did,” Kwong said.

Kwong said police are not releasing the men’s names, or any further details since the case is not a criminal investigation, but he said there is no connection to York University, which is near the site where the tunnel was found, or the Pan Am Games.

Related: Toronto mystery tunnel: #terrortunnel, drug lab or something else entirely?

He says the men are not believed to be survivalists, adding they just “wanted to dig a tunnel.”

Toronto police announced the discovery of the tunnel on 24 February.

The bunker, discovered in January by a conservation officer in a densely wooded area, is located 25 meters (27 yards) from the fence of the Rexall Centre, which is to host tennis events for the summer’s Pan Am Games.

Inside, police say they found plywood wall supports, a generator and a sump pump, as well as a rosary with a Remembrance Day poppy nailed to a wall. Canada commemorates its war veterans on Remembrance Day.

Police said the chamber was almost 2 meters (2 yards) high, 86 cm (34 in) wide and 10 meters (33 ft) long.

The discovery of the “mystery tunnel” caused social media buzz with theories that ranged from zombie hideouts to affordable housing.