A bomb squad has been called to investigate a suspicious van loaded with propane tanks, flares and “possible dynamite sticks,” local media report, as authorities struggle to contain unrest and looting across Philadelphia.
The abandoned vehicle was discovered around 10pm local time, roughly an hour after a citywide curfew kicked in on Wednesday night.
Police cordoned off the area while ATF agents and a bomb squad recovered multiple “propane tanks, torches and possible dynamite sticks,”according to 6abc Action News.
Also on rt.com Philadelphia imposes citywide curfew after 2 nights of riots over police shooting of knife-wielding black manNo one was found inside the van, and authorities have yet to determine if the finding is somehow related to the ongoing unrest in the city.
A citywide curfew in Philadelphia went into effect at 9pm and will last until 6am Thursday, after violent protests spun out of control for two consecutive nights following the death of Walter Wallace Jr., whom police shot after he refused to drop his knife during an altercation on Monday afternoon.
However, despite city police being on high alert and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf activating the state National Guard to help quell the unrest, multiple incidents of vandalism and smaller-scale looting were reported across the city. In the three nights of unrest, city officials say some 200 businesses were targeted for ransacking.
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