Suspicious Packages at Minnesota State Capitol Deemed Nonhazardous

ST. PAUL (AP) — Two suspicious packages that were found in a third floor stairwell at the Minnesota Capitol were found to pose no threat.

The Department of Public Safety says one package contained brick mortar and the other contained paper products.

The packages were found Monday afternoon, and a construction worker reported them to Capitol security at 2:30 p.m. The area was locked down and construction crews were cleared from the building.

The St. Paul Fire Department examined and tested the packages.

The lockdown was lifted by 5 p.m.

The Capitol is currently closed to the public.

The state Capitol is in the midst of a massive renovation project expected to be complete in 2017.