WASHINGTON, Oct 21: Police arrested two young men and destroyed a package in their rental car in an incident that closed several streets around the US Capitol building for about two hours on Friday.

Capitol police declined to release the names of the men or say whether the package had posed a danger. They said the rental car the men were using was registered in Florida.

Police closed several streets near the Capitol building and cleared a nearby commercial office building during the incident. The Capitol and congressional office buildings were not evacuated.

“The two individuals approached our officers and advised them that they believed they had a suspicious package in their vehicle,” police spokeswoman Jessica Gissubel told reporters.

“There is a package in the vehicle which is why we put in place the street closures,” she said before police destroyed the package.

Police destroyed the package as a precaution to ensure it would not explode. A hazardous materials response team was on the scene along with other emergency vehicles. —Reuters