A St. Catharines man has been charged for allegedly making a terrorist hoax after letters claiming to contain deadly anthrax were sent to Ontario and federal government offices.

The suspicious letters were sent to Queen’s Park, Parliament in Ottawa, domestic and foreign government officials, according to an RCMP Integration National Security Enforcement Team (INSET).

Police said on April 29 a staff member at a government office in Ottawa opened an envelope that contained a letter with the inscription “You’ve Been Anthraxed.”

“A string of similar letters, believed to have been authored by the accused, were sent to Government of Canada officials back in 2020,” police said. It claimed “those letters had been infected with coronavirus.”

Police said anthrax is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus Anthracis.

The RCMP said a team of chemical, biological, nuclear and explosives team (CRNE) was deployed as part of their investigation.

The CRNE team determined that the letters did not contain a hazardous substance.

Joseph Knipfel, 63, of St. Catharines, was charged June 25 for hoax, terrorist activity and uttering threats. He is slated to appear in court in that city in July 8.

The investigation involved dozens of officers from Ottawa Police Service, Niagara Regional Police Service, Toronto Police Service, Parliamentary Protective Service, Legislative Protective Service, Canada Post and Postal Inspectors.

Public said to report an immediate threat to national security, please call 911 or your local police department. To report non-immediate threat information related to national security, please contact the RCMP National Security Tip Line: 1-800-420-5805.