A man will appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court today following a “disturbance” at the city council’s headquarters.
Police were called to Marischal College around 9am yesterday after a man allegedly brandished a knife at staff in the reception area.
Officers at the scene arrested the 34-year-old, who was detained and later charged.
No one involved suffered any injuries.
Last night, the council’s chief executive Angela Scott said the incident “could not have been foreseen” – and assured the public that events like this were incredibly rare.
She added that any staff who had been affected by what happened had been offered counselling.
“It should of course go without saying that staff and members of the public should be able to conduct business here safely. Staff and public safety is an absolute priority,” she said.
“The appropriate support has been put in place for staff affected by the incident. Their wellbeing is our prime concern meantime.
“I want to take this opportunity to put on record both how proud I am of how well colleagues at Marischal College have dealt with the immediate aftermath of the incident and my appreciation of the professionalism of the emergency services who attended this morning.”
The reception and customer service centre were closed for a short time while Police Scotland dealt with the incident.
A spokeswoman for the force confirmed police were sent to deal with a “disturbance”.
“Police Scotland can confirm that a 34-year-old male has been charged in connection with a disturbance at Marischal College,” she said.
“Police were called to Marischal College shortly after 9am.
“It is anticipated that the male will appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.”