Canada: Man arrested after he barricades himself inside parliament

Sharing details about the incident, Ottawa Police wrote in a statement: "At about 2:40 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, 2025, a man entered the security screening area of the East Block of Parliament Hill and began making threats to the safety of those inside."

The man was isolated to the security screening area, and the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) attended to facilitate an evacuation of the building and surrounding area.

"Multiple OPS and PPS resources were deployed, including OPS CBRNE (Chemical, Biological,  Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives), Emergency Services Unit, K9, Tactical, Negotiators, Neighbourhood Resource Teams and Traffic," the statement said.

Police said the man surrendered 'peacefully' after negotiations and he was later arrested.

"Several packages were found in the area and were searched and cleared by police," police said in a statement.

No injury has been reported in the incident.

"No explosives, weapons or hazardous materials were located on the accused," the statement said.

The man is scheduled to appear before the court on Sunday.

An investigation into the incident is still underway.

According to police statement, the man, whose identity has not been revealed so far, has been charged with a breach of probation, public mischief and uttering threats to cause property damage.

Canadian Senator Posts Alert Message

Canadian Senator Patrick Brazeau, meanwhile, shared a screenshot of the alert message on X and wrote: " Stay safe Ottawa."

Canada Snap Elections

Canadian PM Mark Carney recently dissolved the Parliament ahead of the snap polls on April 28.

The polls are going to be held nearly six months before the original scheduled date of October 27.

East Block

According to the Canadian Parliament website, East Block houses offices of senators and their staff.

" The building also contains faithful recreations of the offices of its famous occupants from the 19th century," the website said.