Ottawa man charged after hours-long standoff inside Parliament Hill building

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press and News Staff

A 31-year-old Ottawa man is facing several charges after barricading himself in a Parliament Hill building on Saturday.

Ottawa police say just after 2:40 p.m., a man entered the security screening area of the East Block of Parliament Hill and began making threats to those inside.

Police say the man was isolated to the security screening area and the building was evacuated while police shut down a significant stretch of Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill.

After hours of negotiations, the man surrendered peacefully to police and was taken into custody.

No one was injured in the incident.

Police did not release the man’s name, saying only that he has been charged with uttering threats to cause property damage, public mischief and two counts of breaching probation.

Police say several packages were found in the area and were searched and cleared by police. No explosives, weapons or hazardous materials were located on the accused.

The East Block houses the offices of Senators and their staff, but Parliament Hill is mostly quiet this month due to the upcoming federal election.