Olympics: Police carry out controlled explosion on unidentified package at men's cycling event
A loud blast was heard near the finishing line, raising concern that was later dismissed by officials.
A controlled explosion was carried out on an unattended backpack near the finishing line of the men's cycling race at the Rio Olympics on Saturday, according to a Reuters report.
Officials believe that the bag may have belonged to a homeless person, but protocol required any unattended item to be destroyed, a spokesperson for the public security department said.
“The security services found a suspicious package close to the cycle road race finish line in Copacabana and as a precaution decided to perform a controlled explosion,” a Rio 2016 spokesperson told The Guardian. “There is no impact to the race, which is ongoing.”
