Steve Scherer

OTTAWA, (Reuters) – Canadian police are looking into a potential threat to national security. Parliament was forced to close for hours Saturday night after being warned by border agents of a bomb threat.

According to an anonymous source, Saturday’s warning by the border agency intelligence branch was that explosives might be in the vehicles around Parliament.

Ottawa police claimed that Saturday they located two vehicles of interest as well as two individuals of interest, but did not elaborate and there wasn’t a threat to public safety.

The charges against these two people have not been filed yet.

According to a source, however, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Special Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (RCMP), which looks into threats to national security has launched a probe.

Sources have been briefed about the investigation and said that “it is not yet clear how severe the threat was.”

Global News TV reported the news late Saturday night. It said that a major national security investigation was in progress.

A statement from the RCMP stated that “For privacy reasons and operational purposes, the RCMP doesn’t confirm, deny or release information relating criminal investigations unless or till charges are laid.”

Tensions at Ottawa’s parliamentary precinct are high because hundreds of trucks and other vehicles have blocked the area for 3 weeks. Protesters protested against government intervention during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Since the protest against vehicles parking on it, the road running in front of Parliament has not been fully reopened.