Media: Ubisoft Montreal hostage-taking report being probed as hoax

A police officer walks towards a police vehicle as a perimeter is set up around the offices of Ubisoft during a police operation in Montreal, on Nov 13, 2020. — The Canadian Press via AP

MONTREAL: A report of a possible hostage-taking at the Montreal offices of French video game company Ubisoft that brought out a massive police response on Nov 13 was being investigated as a hoax, local media said.

Canadian broadcasters TVA and Radio-Canada cited unnamed police sources saying what had originally been reported as a hostage situation ultimately turned out to be a prank call from someone inside the building who’d demanded a ransom.