Ottawa Police Service (OPS) blocked off access to Parliament Hill on Saturday in response to "credible threats" of explosives, shortly after a group of freedom protestors arrived in the area.."Due to an ongoing Police Investigation at Parliament Hill, we are asking the public to stay away from the area, they said on Twitter at 1:30 p.m. "Wellington Rd is closed between Bronson and Elgin Metcalfe is closed between Albert and Slater..Dozens of heavily armed police officers are currently stationed along roads leading to Wellington Street, with vehicles and police tape blocking off access. .A source told Global News that police received information about a possible threat from explosives near Parliament Hill. OPS worked to clear two suspicious vehicles from the area, and arrests have been made..A few employees who work in the Parliamentary precinct received an email claiming an ongoing operation is taking place to deal with a possible threat. ."There has been a SHELTER IN PLACE order given for the Precinct, this entails no movements in or out of our buildings. Parliament Hill has been evacuated," the email read..The RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, the force’s counter terrorism investigators, was also called to the area. The incident has not officially been labelled a terrorism investigation..Dozens of freedom protestors had gathered at Parliament Hill on Saturday to protest against vaccine mandates, but at around 1:00 p.m., OPS blocked off access to Parliament Hill. The protests continued for a while afterwards..Police officers would not give the Western Standard details of the operation, simply stating it was a "police operation into a public safety concern."
