NT Police were called to Mitchell Street on Thursday morning amid reports of an active shooter, which resulted in the temporary lockdown of Parliament House, before police determined there was no immediate threat to the public and that the report was likely false.

A large police presence patrolled the area, with messages being sent between confused local businesses, with some others reportedly closing their offices until the threat level could be assessed.

Police confirmed on social media around 10:45 am that they had received a report “regarding an active shooter”.

“Police can confirm that there is no active shooter. There is a large police presence in the city however, there is no threat to public safety,” a police statement posted to Facebook stated.

Parliament House went into lockdown for about 10 minutes with no disruption to sittings.

Parliament House security staff informed police they had not seen any suspicious activity in the area and the lockdown was lifted after the police searched the area.

The NT Independent understands the threat was directed at Parliament House.