Police evacuate Ubisoft's Montreal office building after hoax hostage call

[MONTREAL] Police on Friday evacuated a building housing French video game maker Ubisoft's Montreal offices after receiving a hostage call which turned out to be a hoax.

The drama unfolded on Friday afternoon when police officers in combat gear, and armoured vehicles and ambulances, surrounded the red brick building in the Mile End neighborhood north of downtown.

"The perimeter was quickly secured and ... no threat has been detected and no injuries are reported," the police said in a statement, adding that it will investigate the call which resulted in "important" force deployment.

Officers were sent to the location after a 911 emergency call, the police said earlier.

The centre of the police operation was the building that houses Ubisoft's Montreal offices, among other companies.

All Ubisoft Montreal staff are safe and have been evacuated, Ubisoft spokesperson Heather Steele said.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

Aerial footage taken by the Quebec French-news chain LCN showed people gathered on the rooftop terrace of the building, along with heavy objects left at the door to block it.

An Ubisoft employee, Eric Pope, tweeted a screen grab from LCN's footage of people gathered on a rooftop.

"This is insane. This is my team on the roof," Mr Pope wrote in the tweet. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a senior community developer at Ubisoft Montreal. Mr Pope did not respond to a request for comment.

Another Ubisoft employee told CTV News station in Canada that employees at the office were instructed via a company memo to hide in an area that locks and to keep quiet.

REUTERS