Police destroy pressure cooker in vehicle near US Capitol

World Today

The U.S. Capitol is illuminated at night Friday, May 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

A bomb squad has safely destroyed a pressure cooker found in a suspicious vehicle left unattended on Sunday afternoon on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol building.

A police spokesperson told The Associated Press that officers on a routine patrol spotted the parked, unoccupied vehicle on a street on the mall west of the Capitol around 5 p.m. local time Sunday evening.

The Hazardous Devices Section destroyed “items of concern in the vehicle including the pressure cooker” after temporarily closing off the area on the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Police also said an “odor of gasoline was detected”.

After the items were destroyed, police searched the vehicle but didn’t find any hazardous items. Police confirmed the vehicle’s owner had been arrested.

Associated Press