Stunned police Wednesday were investigating after a human hand was found in the mail at an Ottawa post office, just hours after a decomposing foot was sent to Canada's ruling Conservative Party.
"The investigation has so far determined that both packages received in Ottawa originated from Montreal," police said. A severed torso was also discovered by a janitor in Montreal early Tuesday in a suitcase in a pile of garbage.
It was still unclear whether the gruesome discoveries, described byPublic Safety Minister Vic Toews as "very disturbing," are linked.
According to public broadcaster CBC, the body parts will undergo forensic testing to determine if they came from the same person and if the person was alive when the parts were severed.
The first package was partly opened by the receptionist at the Conservative office in Ottawa who called the police after seeing blood stains and was overwhelmed by the smell.
"The Hazmat Unit and Emergency Operations Section were called and upon further inspection of the package it was determined that there was possibly a human foot in the box," police said in a statement on Tuesday.
The box was then X-rayed and handed over to the local coroner who "determined that the package did contain a human foot," it added.
Hours later, a second suspicious package was intercepted by Canada Post at a nearby mail sorting facility. It "contained a human hand," said police.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told reporters Wednesday that this was clearly a "completely disgusting criminal act," adding it was also "bizarre and completely horrifying."
The police interviewed post office staff as well as morgues and hospitals in the area.
[Photo illustration. AFP Photo/Simon Hayter]
