The fear of a bomb near Parliament Hill, which has attracted investigative resources from major national security services, appears to be based on bad information, two senior Canadian intelligence sources told Global News.
Police stormed the area around parliament buildings on Saturday after receiving reliable intelligence on potential explosives in the area.
Read more: “big” national security investigation into fear of explosives in Parliament Hill
Emergency call logs reviewed by Global News show that the Ottawa Police Department searched two vehicles – one at the busy intersection of Slater and Metcalfe streets, three blocks south of Parliament Hill and the other near the Supreme Court – and detained at least two people.
The initial advice was detailed, sources said Sunday, and included names, photos and license plate numbers.
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But a number of sources said Sunday that no explosives had been found during the search, and Ottawa cops said there was no immediate threat to the public.
0:47 Parliament Hill is closed because of a police operation to deal with the “possible threat” Parliament Hill is closed because of a police operation to deal with the “possible threat”
Tensions are high in the parliamentary section of last February’s convoy protests, in which a camp of trucks and protesters occupied the streets around the Hill for weeks before the liberal government invoked emergency powers to clear the demonstration.
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A number of law enforcement and intelligence sources said on Saturday that the council was based on intelligence from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), which suggested some international connection to the alleged threat.
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The investigation involved an RCMP-led national security team and the Parliamentary Protection Service, which are responsible for security on Parliament Hill.
The PPS issued a “shelter” order for lawmakers, senators and officials who were at the polling station on Saturday afternoon while police worked to “clear” the two suspects.
Following the false alarm in the security and intelligence community, questions arose about the provision of initial advice and how the information was verified.
Read more: Canada “not ready” for growing threats to national security, warn former officials
A spokesman for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, which is responsible for investigating national security threats, said the agency had no information about the incident and referred Global News to the Ottawa Police Department.
Numerous attempts to reach Ottawa police on Sunday were unsuccessful.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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