Police say a man taken into custody near the Boston Marathon finish line had a rice cooker in his backpack and is being charged with possession of a hoax device, according to NBC News.
Police Superintendent Randall Halstead says the man was stopped Tuesday by an officer who saw him acting suspiciously, NBC reported. Halstead says the man also faces charges of disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct.
The backpack was blown up by the bomb squad as a precaution as was a second unattended backpack found nearby, according to NBC. Halstead won't say what was in the second backpack or who owned it. He says police are investigating.
The backpacks rattled nerves on the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing, which two pressure cooker bombs in backpacks killed three people, NBC reported.
The Boston Police Department called in the bomb squad and performed what is known as a "controlled disruption" of the bags, police department spokesman David Estrada said, according to NBC.
Estrada was not sure what might have been in the backpacks, and he was not sure what method was used to "disrupt" the bags," adding that the department have different methods which include water cannons or explosives, NBC reported.
The neighborhood was still cordoned off at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to Estrada, according to NBC. The incident happened at about 6:50 p.m.
