The RCMP is investigating a suspected Molotov cocktail attack on the Russian embassy in Ottawa, national police said Monday, after Russia’s foreign ministry asked Canada to step up security at the building.
Earlier Monday, Russia’s ambassador to Canada, Oleg Stepanov, told Russian state news agency Sputnik that a lit bottle containing a “chemical composition” was thrown into the embassy compound early this morning of September 12, but that was not the case. switch on. There was no damage and no one at the embassy was injured, he said.
On Monday afternoon, the RCMP confirmed to CBC News that they had opened an investigation and that officers had gone to the embassy to get more information. Earlier in the day, Ottawa police said they were not aware of the incident.
The embassy told CBC News it considered the incident an “attempted terrorist act” and said it had been in contact with Global Affairs Canada. The embassy provided CBC News with two videos of the alleged incident.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it had also summoned Canada’s ambassador to protest the attack.
LOOK | The video shows a Molotov cocktail thrown over the fence, the embassy says:
The video allegedly shows a Molotov cocktail being thrown at the Russian embassy
The Russian Embassy in Ottawa released surveillance video Monday of what it says is an unknown person launching what appears to be an incendiary projectile into the embassy compound.
In a Russian-language statement late Monday, the ministry alleged that Ottawa police had turned a blind eye to “aggressive protesters” blocking public access to the embassy’s consular section, saying that the police had witnessed an incident but did not intervene.
The ministry also said authorities were not doing enough to prevent or detain those who commit “hostile actions” against its diplomatic staff in what it called a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Stepanov also said the embassy should have a permanent police presence, Sputnik reported.
In a statement, the RCMP said it is “constantly adapting its protective posture to the current threat environment to ensure there is an adequate level of protection at the Russian Embassy.”
Adrien Blanchard, press secretary for Mélanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, said that “violence and vandalism are not acceptable” and that they would continue to closely monitor any news about the incidents.
Meanwhile, a CBC reporter visited the embassy on Monday and saw no obvious signs of vandalism or damage.
In a show of solidarity and support for Ukraine and its people, the City of Ottawa in March installed street signs reading “Free-Libre Ukraine” on Charlotte Street in the Sandy Hill neighborhood, right across from the embassy
Street signs reading “Free-Libre Ukraine” can be seen on Ottawa’s Charlotte Street near the embassy on Monday. (Rachelle Elsiufi/CBC)