RCMP are investigating an alleged Molotov cocktail attack on the Russian embassy in Ottawa, national police said Monday, after Russia’s foreign ministry demanded Canada beef up security at the building.
Earlier on Monday, Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov told Russian state news agency Sputnik that a lit bottle containing a “chemical composition” had been thrown onto the embassy grounds in the early morning of September 12, but that was not the case. fire up There was no damage and no one from the embassy was injured, he said.
On Monday afternoon, RCMP confirmed to CBC News that an investigation had begun and that officers were at 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 considers the incident an “attempted act of terrorism” and said it is 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.
WATCH | Video shows Molotov cocktail thrown over fence, embassy says:
A video shows a Molotov cocktail being thrown at the Russian embassy
The Russian embassy in Ottawa released surveillance video on Monday of what it said was an unknown person throwing what appeared to be an incendiary projectile onto the embassy grounds.
In a Russian-language statement Monday afternoon, the ministry said Ottawa police turned a blind eye to “aggressive demonstrators” blocking public access to the embassy’s consular section, saying police witnessed an incident but did not intervene.
The ministry also said authorities were not doing enough to prevent or detain those who carried out “hostile acts” against its diplomatic staff in what it called a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Stepanov also said that the embassy should have a constant police presence, Sputnik reported.
In a statement, the RCMP said it is “constantly adapting its security posture to the current threat environment to ensure an adequate level of protection at the Russian Embassy.”
Adrienne Blanchard, press secretary for Melanie Jolie, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said “violence and vandalism are not acceptable” and they will continue to closely monitor any news of 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 put up street signs reading “Free Ukraine” in March along Charlotte Street in the Sandy Hill neighborhood — right in front of the embassy.
Street signs reading “Free-Free Ukraine” are seen on Charlotte Street in Ottawa on Monday, near the embassy. (Rachel Elsioufi/CBC)
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