A US Capitol police spokeswoman said a bomb squad safely destroyed a pressure cooker that was found in an unattended vehicle on Sunday. The vehicle was parked on the National Mall near the US Capitol; the vehicle’s owner was found and arrested.

Police lieutenant Kimberly Schneider said Capitol police officers on routine patrol spotted the parked and unoccupied vehicle on a street on the mall west of the Capitol around 5pm on Sunday.

Schneider said the bomb squad destroyed “items of concern in the vehicle including the pressure cooker” around 7.45pm, after temporarily closing off the area on the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Schneider said the vehicle’s owner was found and identified as Israel Shimeles of the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia. Shimeles was arrested and charged with “operating after revocation”.

It was not immediately known if he had an attorney.