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Armed Canadian man arrested after driving truck through gates near PM Trudeau's Ottawa residence

Published 2020-07-02, 10:10 a/m
Updated 2020-07-02, 06:18 p/m
© Reuters. A police officer stands near a damaged gate at Rideau Hall in Ottawa

© Reuters. A police officer stands near a damaged gate at Rideau Hall in Ottawa

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - An armed member of the Canadian military drove a truck through gates protecting an exclusive part of Ottawa where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lives on Thursday but was quickly arrested, police said.

Trudeau was not home at the time. He and his family are based in a large house on the grounds of Rideau Hall, the residence of Governor General Julie Payette, the official representative of head of state Queen Elizabeth. Rideau Hall sits on an 88-acre (0.35 square km) wooded estate.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the man's truck broke down after he smashed it through two gates at 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time (1030 GMT).

"The armed suspect then proceeded on foot on the grounds of Rideau Hall ... where he was rapidly contained by RCMP members who were on patrol," it said in a statement.

"(He) was apprehended shortly before 8:30 a.m. without any incident and he was brought into police custody for questioning," it added, saying charges were pending.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp cited a source as saying the man had driven his truck from the central province of Manitoba, some 2,000 km (1,240 miles) east of Ottawa.

Trudeau, 48, who is married with three children, also has access to a summer house about 22 miles (35 km) northwest of Ottawa. Payette was not at Rideau Hall when the incident occurred, police said.

Unlike the United States, where four presidents have been assassinated since 1865, there is little history of serious violence targeting officials in Canada.

The one exception was in 1970, when a radical group seeking independence for Quebec kidnapped the Canadian province's deputy premier and later killed him.

© Reuters. A police officer stands near a damaged gate at Rideau Hall in Ottawa

Trudeau donned a bulletproof vest for an election campaign rally in October last year after officials detected a security threat.

Latest comments

Ed Crain = Hopeful yet Hateful Trudeau groupie!
Guy Lamoureux, you are just a Hate filled individual that wishes that your Hate for yourself can be overshadowed by the Hate you attempt to project on others. Even FB has recognized this and is in the process of eradicating the Hate, like Mr. Trudeau did with Covid-19 in many parts of Canada. I just recognize the facts. One fact I recognize is that you Hate the person you see in the mirror every morning. I hope you find the help you desperately seek very soon, for your sake and your family's.
It seems the forum doesn't want you getting the help you require, based on the thumbs down responses. You must have made them extremely angry with your negativity and Hate in previous posts. I, on the other hand, still have hope for you, Guy Lamoureux. Acceptance is the first step to healing.
Ed Crain = Trudeau groupie!
Fun Fact: To give you an idea of how good Canada is doing at flattening the Covid-19 curve, the US had 51097 new cases yesterday. From a per capita perspective, that would be equivalent to Canada having 5827 new cases yesterday. Instead, Canada only had 67 cases. The US has 87x the per capita cases as Canada. That gives you an idea of how awesome Canada is doing. Keep up the Awesome work Mr. Trudeau!!!! Don't let the Hate sway you!!!!
Jealous Hater of the excellent job Trudeau is doing compared to the US Administration. Keep up the excellent work Mr. Trudeau! Don't let Hate sway you from protecting Canadians. Keep the Canada/US border closed from for nonessential travel!!!!
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