Nobel prize-winning scientist and French virologist Luc Montagnier has stirred a fresh controversy by suggesting that the SARS-CoV-2 virus came from a lab, and is the result of an attempt to manufacture a vaccine against the AIDS virus.

Montagnier won the 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine along withFrançoise Barré-Sinoussi and Harald zur Hausen for the discovery of the humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV).

In an interview given to French CNews channel and during apodcast by Pourquoi Docteur, Montagnier claimed that the virus, which causesthe COVID-19 infection was a result of an attempt to manufacture a vaccineagainst HIV in a Chinese lab.

Montagnier pointed out to the presence of elements of HIV inthe genome of the coronavirus and even elements of the "germ of malaria".He said the characteristics of the new coronavirus could not have arisennaturally.

"The Wuhan city laboratory has specialized in thesecoronaviruses since the early 2000s. They have expertise in this area," hewas quoted as saying. He suggested that an "industrial" accident would havetaken place in the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory, he added.

Reports have emerged that the novel coronavirus may havebeen accidentally leaked by an intern working at the Wuhan Institute ofVirology in China.

Montagnier's claims, however, was dismissed by another. French virologist Étienne SimonLorièr. AFP quoted Montagnier as saying that "these are very small elements that are found in other viruses of the same family".