"Arrest of man who caused quarantine after barricading himself in East Block of Parliament Hill"

Police arrest man who barricaded himself inside Parliament Hill's East Block after prolonged standoff

CTV National News Episode 1 of 3: Man arrested after lockdown declared in Parliament Hill's East Block Now playing CTV National News Episode: Man arrested after lockdown declared in Parliament Hill's East Block Man barricaded himself inside Parliament Hill's East Block prompts lockdown Man barricaded himself inside Parliament Hill's East Block prompts lockdown Quarantine declared in Parliament Hill's East Block Quarantine declared in Parliament Hill's East Block

A man is facing multiple charges after barricading himself inside Parliament Hill's East Block and sparking a prolonged standoff on Saturday, the Ottawa Police Service said.

The 31-year-old Ottawa man has been charged with two counts of breach of probation, public nuisance and threatening to damage property. Police have not released any information on his name.

In an update released Sunday morning, police said he “entered the security screening area of ​​the East Block of Parliament Hill and began threatening the safety of those inside” at about 2:40 p.m.

“The man was confined to the security screening area and Parliament Protective Services (PPS) and Ottawa Police Service (OPS) responded to facilitate the evacuation of the building and surrounding area.” This text has been updated.

Police added that he “peacefully surrendered” after hours of negotiations.

No injuries were reported, and police said “no explosives, weapons or dangerous materials were found in the vicinity of the suspect.”

Police said Saturday that he was the only person involved in the incident.

The man is scheduled to appear in court Sunday.

A 2:45 p.m. alert from Parliament Protective Services told people inside the building to “take shelter in the nearest room. Close and lock all doors and stay hidden.”

The East Block of Parliament Hill was placed under lockdown on April 5, 2025. (Andrew Adlington/CTV Ottawa News)

Members of the Ottawa Police Service investigate an incident on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Canadian Press/Spencer Colby The alert asked people who were not immediately in the area to avoid travel to the areas under lockdown until further notice.

Senator Patrick Brazeau tweeted "Stay safe Ottawa" after receiving the alert.

The Parliament Protection Service has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Police were forced to deploy special units, including at least one police dog unit and explosives disposal unit, as the situation continued into the night. Two bomb disposal unit robots were seen in front of the Centre Block, according to the Canadian Press.

Dozens of Ottawa Police and Parliament Protection Service vehicles were seen in the area, and nearby Wellington Street was closed to traffic.

The East Block houses the offices of senators and their staff, according to the government's website. Parliament is currently in recess for a federal election.

The website says the building once housed the offices of Sir John E. Macdonald and Sir Georges-Étienne Cartier and still contains "faithful reconstructions of the offices of these famous 19th-century figures."

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