Canadian Parliament goes into lockdown after security breach

The Canadian Parliament went into lockdown on Saturday after a man gained unauthorised access to the east block and remained overnight, as confirmed by the Ottawa police. He has been taken into custody, and a criminal investigation is currently underway.

"The barricaded man call at East Block has ended without incident. One man is in custody. The @ottawapolice criminal investigation is ongoing and an update will be provided in the morning. We thank the public for its cooperation," Ottawa Police posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The police had issued an alert advising anyone inside the East Block, which houses parliamentary offices, to seek shelter, lock doors, and remain hidden.

Later, authorities evacuated the building and cordoned off a significant section of Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill, halting both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Ottawa Police Inspector Mark Bouwmeester said that the police had deployed specialized units in response, including a canine unit and explosives experts, and later expanded the security perimeter to include parts of Sparks Street.

The East Block houses offices for Senators and their staff. However, Parliament Hill has seen minimal activity in recent weeks following the dissolution of Parliament after elections were called on March 23. The federal election, originally scheduled for October 27, has been moved up by nearly six months.