Ottawa Police have re-opened Wellington and Rideau streets to traffic after the RCMP and Ottawa Police deemed that a suspicious package left at the Prime Minister’s Office Wednesday afternoon was safe.
Parts of the downtown core, including two blocks of Wellington Street and Sparks Street, were cordoned off for much of the afternoon as police evacuated Langevin Building, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office and Privy Council Office, and neighbouring businesses.
Police first arrived on the scene around 11:20 a.m., after a man, currently in custody, dropped off a suitcase-sized package, according to media reports.
The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives team was called in an hour later, and “rendered the package safe” using a robot, according an Ottawa Police press release.
Fire alarms could be heard from inside the building located across the street from Parliament Hill, where the Governor General is set to deliver the throne speech.
Onlookers near Elgin and Wellington streets were told earlier in the day to move as far down as Queen Street.
According to the Canadian Press, Prime Minister Harper was not in the building during the incident.