Australia enhances parliamentary security in wake of Canada terror attack
Security measures increased around government buildings in Australia after news of a gunman attacking parliamentary buildings in the Canadian capital Ottowa
Australia increased security around Parliament House on Thursday and Prime Minister Tony Abbott expressed solidarity with Ottawa after a gunman attempted to storm Canada’s legislature.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the government would boost security measures around Canberra’s parliament buildings on top of a recent tightening of measures imposed after Australia last month raised its terror alert level from “medium” to “high”.
“Australians woke this morning to further confirmation that the threat to free countries and free institutions is very real indeed.”
“There will be an enhanced Australian Federal Police presence around the building,” Keenan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“We will obviously continue to monitor the situation to make sure the deployment around the building is appropriate for what we assess to be the risk.”
He stressed there were no specific threats “that we’re aware of that would give us cause for concern”.
The increased security measures include extra police around the Canadian High Commission, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Abbott said he was confident over responding to any attacks on parliament, with security arrangements at government buildings and military bases constantly under review.