Ottawa Police have charged 24-year-old Jesse Mooney after an incident on Parliament Hill Monday morning during the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
Mooney is facing charges of assault and breach of probation. He's set to appear in show cause court tomorrow.
No one was injured and the Parliamentary Protective Service arrested the man, according to a spokesperson for the PPS.
“An incident took place this morning at 10:15 on the lawns of Parliament Hill, during the Changing of the Guard parade involving a man with a knife,” a Department of National Defence spokesperson told CTV News in a statement. “Due to the quick reaction of our soldiers, RCMP and Parliamentary Protective Services, the potential threat was identified and neutralized. No one was injured during this incident,” the spokesperson said.
The man was turned over to Ottawa Police, who are investigating the incident, the RCMP said in a statement to CTV News. Ottawa police have since clarified that following the arrest, a small pocket knife was then found in proximity to the man.
A source tells CTV News’ Michel Boyer that the person was arrested after acting unusually on the Hill during the ceremony, and a knife was found afterwards.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has been briefed on the incident. “Relieved that no one was injured. Thank you to all Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP and Parliamentary Protective Services members for your prompt response,” Sajjan tweeted.
The ceremonial Changing of the Guard takes place at 10 a.m. daily on the lawn of Parliament Hill over the summer months.