Philadelphia City Hall was evacuated and City Council was abruptly adjourned on Thursday after sheriff’s deputies alerted officials to a suspicious package in Council, Council President Kenyatta Johnson said.
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Johnson told The Inquirer that sheriff’s deputies were investigating the package found on the floor where Council members were holding their first meeting of the fall session. A bomb squad was called, and dogs signaled an alert on the package, he said.
Police said the package was examined and determined not to contain a device, and the scene was cleared. No injuries were reported.
“The bomb squad is out there,” Johnson said while the room was being evacuated. “The sheriff’s office just notified us that there was a suspicious package that was sniffed by two dogs, and so they’re asking us to evacuate the building.”
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As chambers were being evacuated, officers detained and removed a government employee. The employee spoke to a reporter while in handcuffs.
He said he believed it was his package that was at the center of the ordeal. “I think it’s my bag that I left on the chair,” he said.
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He said it was not a bomb.
This is a developing story and will be updated.