Suspicious object prompts evacuation of "El Mercurio de Valparaíso"

VALPARAÍSO.- The presence of a suspicious artifact resembling a bomb prompted the evacuation of the "El Mercurio de Valparaíso" building. A police investigation that later determined the device contained gun powder.

At approximately 7:50 this morning, the owner of a newspaper kiosk located near the entrance to the hundred year-old "El Mercurio de Valparaíso" newspaper building noticed that a strange-looking artifact wrapped in a plastic bag had been placed on a window sill.

The man immediately informed the publisher's reception personnel, who determined that the object resembled a fire extinguisher connected to cables and possibly clocks. As a result, the police were notified. Law enforcement officials arrived quickly and blocked off the area in order to investigate.

Janitorial personnel and Radio Digital FM employees present inside the building were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Special police agents performed tests with a robot and determined that the device, which in the end did not explode, contained black gunpowder. The contraption also contained a basic clock mechanism.