Police say arrest made after man barricaded himself on Parliament Hill

Ottawa police say they arrested one man late Saturday evening after an hours-long lockdown on Parliament Hill.

Investigators say the man gained unauthorized access to East Block on Saturday afternoon and barricaded himself inside the building.

In a post on social media, they say he was taken into custody without incident.

There was no immediate word on charges.

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 evacuated from the building and police shut down a significant stretch of Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill, blocking traffic and pedestrians.

More than three hours after the lockdown began, police extended the exclusion zone from Wellington Street one block back to Sparks Street.

Ottawa police Insp. Mark Bouwmeester told reporters at around 7:30 p.m. that the circumstances of this incident were “suspicious,” but gave few details about what was happening inside.

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.

A government web page says East Block houses the offices of Senators and their staff, but Parliament Hill is mostly quiet this month due to the federal election.

Parliament has been dissolved since the election was called on March 23.

The site says the building once held the officers 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.”

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