Police destroy suspicious backpack found near Saskatoon courthouse

Saskatoon police are investigating after a suspicious bag was destroyed by the bomb squad Thursday morning.

 Around 7:30 a.m., an officer found the bag unattended in the 200 block of 19th Street East.

At first, the officer thought the bag was full of paint cans, according to a police release issued Thursday afternoon. The bag was later found to contain what the release described as “explosive materials,” and was destroyed by the Explosives Disposal Unit.

Saskatoon police confirmed Friday morning the explosives were, in fact, a single Roman candle-type firework. Const. Ryan Ehlat said there was no danger to the public, but police still destroyed the bag out of an abundance of caution.

“The items that were found, if combined, could have caused a low-level explosion,” he said.