Ottawa police say one man has been arrested after an hours-long lockdown on Parliament Hill.
“The barricaded man call at East Block has ended without incident. One man is in custody,” Ottawa police said in a social media post shortly before 11 p.m. ET on Saturday. The post also said the criminal investigation is ongoing and an update will be provided in the morning.
There was no immediate word on charges.
Earlier at 7:30 p.m. ET, Insp. Mark Bouwmeester told reporters that “the circumstances of this incident are considered suspicious,” but he gave few details about what was happening inside. Investigators say the man gained unauthorized access to East Block on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re currently in contact with the individual, and our priority is to resolve this situation peacefully,” he said at the time. “At this time there is no known injuries, and we believe that the man is the only person inside the building.”
Police would not say whether the man was believed to be armed or whether he had made threats.
Ottawa police brought in specialized units, including at least one canine unit and explosives units. Two bomb disposal unit robots were seen in front of Centre Block.
Police initially released a warning Saturday afternoon telling anyone in East Block, which houses parliamentary offices, to seek shelter in the nearest room, close and lock all doors and hide.
People were then evacuated from the building, as police temporarily shut down a significant stretch of Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill — blocking traffic and pedestrians.
Hours after the lockdown began, police extended the exclusion zone from Wellington Street one block back to Sparks Street.
A government web page says the East Block houses the offices of senators and their staff, but there is little activity on the Hill because Parliament is dissolved for the ongoing federal election.
The same web page says the building once held the offices of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George-Étienne Cartier,” and that it still contains “faithful recreations of the offices of its famous occupants from the 19th century.”
