Ubisoft Montreal Evacuates Headquarters After Bomb And Hostage Scare
Employees were evacuated by armed police after barricading themselves on the office building's roof.
Ubisoft Montreal's office was evacuated by armed police on Friday due to an alleged threat that saw employees initially barricaded on the roof. Police were called to the video game developer's Montreal headquarters, located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in the Mile End neighborhood, in response to a 911 call.
Initial reporting suggested that multiple armed men had entered the building and had or were attempting to take its occupants hostage. Ubisoft writer David Gallaher (Ghost Recon: Breakpoint), who works remotely from Brooklyn, New York, stated he wasn't sure what was happening, but that workers in the building had fled to the roof and barricaded doors.
Canadian outlet TVA Nouvelles reported that a phone call was made from inside the building, threatening to detonate a bomb unless they were paid a $2 million ransom. Le Journal De Montreal reports that the call was made from inside the building, which houses several other businesses including a daycare center.
The Montreal police response, which included an armored vehicle, inspected the building for several hours before determining there was no identified threat for the time being.
As of this writing, it's not clear what happened, but Montreal police in a statement to Business Insider have suggested the initial 911 call was a hoax.