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Canadian police arrest armed man near Justin Trudeau's residence Canadian police arrest armed man near Justin Trudeau's residence
(about 5 hours later)
Neither Trudeau nor the governor general, Julie Payette, were present at the residences on the grounds man accessed Neither PM nor governor general Julie Payette were at home after reservist smashed through security gates of Ottawa compound
Canadian police have arrested an armed man who had gained access to the Ottawa estate which includes the official residences of the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and the country’s governor general. Canadian police have arrested an armed reservist after he rammed a truck through security gates and drove toward the official residences of both the prime minister and governor general.
Neither Trudeau nor the governor general, Julie Payette, were present at the time of the incident early on Thursday, police said. A black pickup truck “breached the main pedestrian entrance” of Ottawa’s sprawling Rideau Hall around 6:30am” on Thursday, the RCMP said in a statement.
Trudeau and his family are based in a large house on the 88-acre (0.35 sq km) grounds of Rideau Hall, the residence of Payette, the official representative of Queen Elizabeth. Justin Trudeau and his family were not present on the property at the time of the incident, said police. Governor general Julie Payette was not at Rideau Hall either.
“At approximately 6:40 this morning (10:40 GMT), an armed man was able to access the grounds ... the prime minister and the governor general were not present at the moment of the incident,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Twitter. Police say the vehicle was “disabled” following impact with the wrought iron gates, but still travelled a few hundred metres inside the grounds. The intruder then travelled by foot towards a greenhouse where he was intercepted by police.
“The man was arrested shortly after without any incident. He is currently in custody and is being interviewed,” it added, saying criminal charges were pending. “While an RCMP member began dialogue with the suspect, the RCMP national division emergency response team was also dispatched and arrived shortly after 7am,” the RCMP said in a statement. Nearly two hours after he first breached the gates, the intruder was brought into custody “without any incident”. Police have said charges are pending and have not released the identity of the suspect.
A spokesman for Trudeau confirmed that the 48-year-old prime minister was not at home at the time. Trudeau, who is married with three children, also has access to a summer house about 22 miles (35km) north-west of Ottawa. The military confirmed the man is a member of the armed forces. “The Canadian armed forces is collaborating closely with the RCMP,” the military said in a statement.
Unlike the United States, where four presidents have been assassinated since 1865, there is almost no history of serious political violence in Canada. The man is believed to have been armed with a rifle and two shotguns, according to Global News, but is alleged to have wanted to speak with the prime minister—not harm him. The suspect is also believed to have travelled from Manitoba – a distance of almost 1,900km (1,180 miles). .
The one exception was in 1970, when a radical group seeking independence for Quebec kidnapped the Canadian province’s deputy premier and later killed him. Following his arrest, police searched the truck with two robots. Inside was a bright orange cooler, a leather jacket and military rations, according to the Toronto Star.
Trudeau donned a bulletproof vest for an election campaign rally in October last year after officials detected a security threat. Rideau Hall is the official residence of governor general Julie Payette. But since he became prime minister in 2015, Trudeau and his family have lived at Rideau Cottage on the grounds during renovations to 24 Sussex, the prime minister’s official, but long dilapidated, residence in Ottawa.
Despite the Thursday morning scare, security breaches and threats against the prime minister are relatively rare in Canada.
In 1995, a knife-wielding attacker broke into 24 Sussex and was arrested outside the bedroom of then prime minister Jean Chrétien and his wife, Aline. Chrétien later told reporters he had armed himself with an Inuit stone carving as a weapon in the event the intruder was able to enter the room.
At a campaign rally in October last year, Trudeau wore a bulletproof vest for an election campaign rally after officials say they detected a security threat.