Fake nuclear attack warning in Osborne Village was a prank, police say

Winnipeg police are investigating after an unfounded warning of an imminent nuclear attack was broadcast in Osborne Village on Sunday evening.

In a video of the recording posted on Instagram, a voice can be heard saying six nuclear missiles have been launched at Canada and the United States and are expected to hit within 15 to 25 minutes.

The message is being "transmitted at the request of the Canadian government" and "is not a test," the voice says as alarms sound.

It advises people to seek shelter with "as many walls and layers between you and the outside world as possible" and says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will speak on all media stations soon.

Police were called around 9:20 p.m. about the warning, which was played in the area of Roslyn Road and Osborne Street, said Const. Jay Murray.

"This is something we're going to continue to look into and hopefully we can discover the source of this message," Murray said.

The recording stopped playing shortly after police arrived, but the service received a few phone calls about it, he said. The recording seems only to have been heard in the area near the intersection and possibly northeast of it.

A police news release on Monday said the incident was a prank.

"An investigation has determined that the audio was taken from an online video and is a prank. It is not part of any official alert system and it was likely played through a home speaker system," the release says.

Murray referred to the perpetrator as a "jokester," but said the incident may have alarmed people and took up police time. Officers went door-to-door in the area to assure people they weren't in danger.

"I think any time you try to incite fear into individuals, it's something to be taken very seriously," he said.

"Like I said, we'll continue to look at this and if anyone has any information, they can certainly provide it to us."

Anyone with information regarding the individual(s) responsible for this incident is asked to contact the Winnipeg Police Service non-emergency line at 204-986-6222 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).