Members of the Ottawa police investigate an incident at Parliament Hill on April 5.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
An hours-long lockdown on Parliament Hill has came to an end after police arrested a man who had barricaded himself inside the East Block.
Ottawa police said the man gained “unauthorized access” to the building on Saturday afternoon.
The incident prompted the evacuation of the building and road closures in the area around Parliament Hill.
Police announced the arrest in a post to social media shortly after 10 p.m., saying a man was in custody, and more details on the incident would come Sunday morning.
There was no word on a motive or charges.
Earlier on Saturday Inspector Mark Bouwmeester told reporters that at about 3 p.m., the parliamentary police force reported to the Ottawa Police Service that an unknown man had gained unauthorized access to East Block, which is primarily used for senators’ offices and committee rooms.
Parliament Hill’s East Block was locked down and evacuated on Saturday afternoon. Ottawa police say they are dealing with a man barricaded in the area.
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“This has prompted a significant police response in the area involving both the Parliamentary Protective Service and specialized units of the Ottawa Police Service,” Insp. Bouwmeester said.
“We’re currently in contact with the individual and our priority is to resolve the situation peacefully,” he said.
There have been no injuries, he added.
The inspector declined to say if the man was armed but said the incident was isolated to an area of the complex, with no members of the public affected.
Asked about the man’s motivations, Insp. Bouwmeester said that issue was part of a continuing investigation and not something he could comment on at this time.
He said police were intent on resolving the situation peacefully. “That’s our priority,” he said.
The inspector acknowledged the massive police presence, with scores of vehicles from the Ottawa police and the Parliamentary Protective Service.
“It’s a fairly large police operation at this time,” he said. “We’re treating this as a serious, suspicious incident.”
Journalists and members of the public were kept at a distance, behind yellow police tape. One passerby who breached the tape was hustled back behind it by a pair of officers and threatened with arrest if he crossed it again.
A law enforcement officer stands near a robot after a lockdown was declared at Canada's Parliament in Ottawa on Saturday.Blair Gable/Reuters
At about 6:30 p.m., police were seen moving what appeared to be a tactical truck toward the front door of East Block. Officers were also positioned in front of the building and on the side.
In the Parliament Hill area, police cars blocked traffic from accessing Wellington Street along Ottawa’s Parliament buildings. Police asked the public to stay away from the area.
Parliament is not in session because of the April 28 federal election.
Senator Patrick Brazeau posted a lockdown notice from the Parliamentary Protective Service to X, formerly Twitter.
The notice urged anyone in the building to seek shelter in the nearest rooms and “close all doors and hide.”
The incident comes after the federal government, last month, announced $50-million over five years in federal funding to the Ottawa Police Service to establish a dedicated police presence around Parliament Hill, allowing Ottawa police to create a dedicated detachment.