HALIFAX – A man was arrested and police recovered a firearm late Thursday morning following a search of downtown Halifax after a report that a man was spotted carrying a rifle.
At 11 a.m., officers responded to a report that a man had left a firearm on a Halifax Transit bus and walked away southbound on Albemarle Street.
Shortly after that, police arrested a man nearby on Argyle Street and recovered a firearm on the bus.
Police said it is “unclear” whether the man was arrested in connection with a report received around 8:30 a.m. that launched their search.
The report said a man wearing black cargo pants and an earpiece was spotted in the area of Duke Street and Brunswick Street carrying a rifle wrapped in black cloth.
In an statement, Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. Pierre Bourages said there were no reports of shots fired or threats made to anybody.
He added that there is no evidence that the incident is connected to an attack on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday or an incident in Quebec where two soldiers were struck by a car.
Bourdages said police responded as they would to any weapons complaint, but acknowledged the increased public awareness following those events.
The investigation is continuing.
City spokesperson Jennifer Stairs said there were no passengers on the bus when police searched it.
She said security footage from the four cameras on the bus, which travels between downtown Halifax and Stanfield International Airport, will be shared with police.
Businesses and schools that were under lockdown gradually re-opened after news of the arrest was made public, and Halifax city hall began allowing controlled access to people with appropriate identification.
The provincial legislature was also locked down during the search and extra security was added to the Halifax courthouse on Spring Garden Road.
With files from Natasha Pace, Mayya Assouad and Adam Frisk, Global News
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