A man was arrested and could face charges after dropping an assortment of items in a bag in front of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill on Tuesday and running away.
The incident occurred just after 11 a.m. ET.
The contents of the bag could be seen strewn on the pavement outside Centre Block’s famous central tower. The Parliamentary Protective Service cordoned off the area with tape and officers stood guard over the plastic bag’s contents, which appeared to include items of clothing and at least one sheet of paper.
A section of Centre Block was temporarily evacuated. The House of Commons is not sitting this week, so there were not the usual number of MPs or staff inside.
A few tour groups were forced to wait on the lawn while officials cleared the area. They were allowed to re-enter the building by 1 p.m.
Security arrangements and procedures on Parliament Hill have reportedly been tightened since a gunman was able to charge through the front doors and into the building’s central hallway during an attack in October 2014.
In mid-March, a woman was intercepted by officers on the Hill after stealing a vehicle that was left parked and idling on the grounds and driving it towards an exit.
*With files from the Canadian Press.