CANBERRA, Jan. 8-- The Australian Federal Police (AFP) detained a man armed with a knife outside the Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday afternoon.

Fears were sparked when security officers noticed a man, believed to be in his 30s, carrying a knife outside the ministerial entrance of the Parliament House just after midday.

The police were quickly called to the scene, where they attempted to persuade the man to hand over the weapon. When he refused, he was constrained by officers.

The suspect was then detained while paramedics arrived, before he was taken to Canberra Hospital.

A statement released by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Police, released on Thursday, said, "Around 12:30 p.m. local time, ACT Police and AFP Protection Services Officers attended to a man who was observed to be armed with a knife."

Although the Parliament House was not evacuated, AFP officers surrounded the area and diverted traffic away from the scene.

The ACT Police later confirmed that there were "no national security concerns" regarding the incident.