Police: Bomb Squad Checks 'Suspicious' Vehicle Near Capitol
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman says a bomb squad safely destroyed a pressure cooker found in an unattended vehicle parked on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol and the vehicle's owner was found and arrested.
Police Lt. Kimberly A. Schneider says Capitol Police officers on routine patrol spotted the parked, unoccupied vehicle on a street on the mall west of the Capitol around 5 p.m. Sunday.
Schneider said the bomb squad destroyed "items of concern in the vehicle including the pressure cooker" around 7:45 p.m. after temporarily closing off the area on the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Schneider says the vehicle's owner was found and identified as Israel Shimeles of the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia. Shimeles was arrested and charged with "operating after revocation." It wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney.
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