Canada: Arrested man who barricaded himself in Parliament

Canadian police arrested on Saturday evening of a man who was barricaded in the Parliament building in Ottawa for several hours.

Investigators said a man gained unauthorized access to the east block of Canada's parliament Saturday afternoon and barricaded himself inside the building.

In a social media post hours later, police said the man was taken into custody without incident.

There was no mention of charges or motives, writes AP.

Police initially issued an alert on Saturday afternoon telling anyone in the East Block, which houses the Parliament offices, to seek shelter in the nearest room, close and lock all doors and take cover.

People were evacuated from the building and police closed off a significant section of Wellington Street in front of Parliament, 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.

Police Inspector Mark Bouwmester told reporters the circumstances of the incident were "suspicious" but gave few details about what was going on inside.

Police did not say whether the man was armed or threatened.

Ottawa police brought in specialized units, including at least one dog unit and explosives unit.

The government's website says the East Block houses the offices of senators and their staff, but Parliament is mostly quiet this month because of the federal election. Parliament has been dissolved since elections were called on March 23.

Source: AP