At 6:30 this morning, a lone male breached the main pedestrian entrance of 1 Sussex Drive (Thomas Gate) with his vehicle which was disabled on impact. The armed suspect then proceeded on foot on the grounds of Rideau Hall to the greenhouse, an onsite structure with limited public access, where he was rapidly contained by RCMP members who were on patrol in the area. While an RCMP member began dialogue with the suspect, the RCMP National Division Emergency Response Team was also dispatched and arrived shortly after 7 am. The armed suspect was apprehended shortly before 8:30 am without any incident and he was brought into police custody for questioning. As a precaution, the CBRNE team was also deployed to search and secure the suspect's vehicle. As previously stated, the Prime Minister and his family, as well as the Governor General, were not present on site at the time of the incident.
The suspect's identity will be confirmed as soon as possible. We can confirm that the individual arrested by the RCMP is a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. The RCMP is collaborating closely with the Canadian Armed Forces.
''Thanks to the swift and diligent actions of our employees, the incident that unfolded earlier this morning on the grounds of Rideau Hall was quickly and safely resolved. I wish to commend the incredible efforts of all RCMP members who responded to this incident and acknowledge the contributions of all our employees and our Ottawa Police Service partners that supported this response. I am extremely proud of the courage, professionalism and collaboration that occurred and undoubtedly ensured the successful resolution of this event.''
– Assistant Commissioner Bernadine Chapman, Commanding Officer, National Division
"Through our members' vigilance, quick action and successful de-escalation techniques, this highly volatile incident was resolved swiftly and peacefully. I am very proud of all our people and our partners who moved fast and acted decisively to contain this threat."
– Deputy Commissioner Mike Duheme, Federal Policing, RCMP
The RCMP is investigating and charges are pending. No further details are available at this time.