Samples from a mysterious barrel found in Quebec that bears the inscription “U.S. Army” are being tested for a possible dangerous neurotoxin.
The barrel was found by a citizen this week on Grosse-Île, a small island in the St. Lawrence River near Montmagny, Que., roughly 80 kilometres east of Quebec City.
Samples from the barrel are now with specialist Canadian military laboratories in Suffield, Alta., to confirm the nature of the substance inside, Noovo Info reported. Results could come next week.
The case is a cause for concern for Quebec provincial police, which is securing the perimeter around the barrel under 24-hour surveillance with drones and helicopters.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Montreal newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have declined to comment on the situation.
Dates found on the barrel suggest it could originate from the Second World War.
A biological weapon?
The date and the location of the barrel raise questions about its origins, including the possibility that it could contain a biological weapon.
According to research by investigative journalists Yves Bernard and Vincent Frigon, co-authors of the book “Project N,” Canadian, British, and American scientists worked between 1942 and 1944 on manufacturing half a million anthrax bombs intended for attacks on Adolf Hitler’s Germany.
Alongside the creation of the atomic bomb and the cracking of the Enigma code, Project N is cited by Bernard and Frigon as the “third secret” of the deadliest armed conflict in human history, Noovo Info reported in March.
The ambitious military operation centred on the very first mass production of a biological weapon—an anthrax bomb, according to the book, published on March 16.
“By the end of the operation, the amount of anthrax stored on the island would have been enough to wipe out the world’s population thirty times over,” reads an overview of the book.
The top-secret military operation, according to the book, took place on Grosse-Île.
‘You become a corpse’
Rémi Landry, a retired lieutenant-colonel of the Canadian Armed Forces, told Noovo Info that if the substance inside the barrel is indeed a neurotoxin, it could be fatal.
“Within a few minutes … you become a corpse,” he said in an interview. “These are substances that are very, very, very, very dangerous, and they are illegal.”
During his 34 years of service, Landry said he had to train for the eventuality of coming into contact with toxic substances of this kind.
“During the Cold War, while on exercises in Germany, we had protective suits,” said the former soldier.
“If it’s something dating back to the Second World War, I’m virtually certain we already have the means to contain it and, if necessary, transport it, then destroy it at a suitable facility.”
Large-scale operation
The barrel was moved to a secure location nearby on Île aux Canards, an area that is used for hunting and belongs to a local family, according to the newspaper L’oie blanche. The discovery triggered a large-scale police operation by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) on Tuesday.
According to statements made by the SQ to the media on Tuesday, the City of Montmagny and Public Health are collaborating on the high-profile case.
With files from Noovo Info
