Anchal Sharma · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2026 5:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 hours ago

One person has been arrested following an hours-long investigation into a suspicious incident at the University of Ottawa that led to the school being locked down, police say.

The University of Ottawa was on lockdown Friday evening after getting reports of what it called a "violent threat."

In a notice posted to social media, the university instructed students to stop all activities and to take shelter inside a building.

"If a violent attacker is close by, be ready to run, hide or, if your life is in imminent danger, defend yourself by any means necessary until you can get away," a statement on the university's website said.

The Ottawa Police Service said they responded to calls of a suspicious person in the area at 4:20 p.m.

That led to an increased police presence on Nicholas Street and Laurier Avenue near the university.

An OC Transpo special constable cruiser is parked outside uOttawa station Friday. The station was closed during the lockdown but reopened that evening. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

"I was just outside my dorm building and campus security came up to me and said 'There's a lockdown, you should go in,'" student Mehmet Ozbay told CBC.

"It's a scary thing that things like this can happen," he said.

Others told CBC they were unaware of what was happening on campus, despite an alert being sent out.

"I did not know there was a lockdown until my mom gave me a call and was freaking out and asked if I was OK," said Jasmine Martin, a third-year student.

Man arrested Friday evening

Police said they arrested a man just before 7 p.m. on nearby Waller Street. He has not been identified, and no charges have been announced.

The University of Ottawa lifted the lockdown at 7:10 p.m., announcing on social media that the campus was once again safe.

No injuries were reported, police said, and there is no ongoing threat to public safety. Their investigation is ongoing.

The Ottawa Paramedic Service also told Radio-Canada that they had not received any calls for an incident at the university.

Line 1 of the LRT was bypassing uOttawa station during the lockdown, but it has since reopened, OC Transpo said.