UPDATE: All-clear after package found near Wisconsin GOP office

HUDSON, Wis. (AP) — Police in western Wisconsin gave the all-clear after a strip mall was evacuated and a bomb squad called in following the discovery Tuesday of a suspicious package outside a local Republican Party campaign office.

Officers in Hudson were sent to the scene just before 9 a.m. Police said the package, made out of a military-grade ammunition can, was identified as a potential threat and the area was cordoned off.

Just after 2 p.m., authorities deemed the package “clear” and said there was no longer a threat, KSTP-TV reported.

Hudson officials placed trucks full of dirt in front of the GOP headquarters, and a bomb squad has been dispatched from Wausau, Wisconsin, Hudson Police Chief Geoff Willems said.

HUDSON, Wis. (AP) — Police in western Wisconsin evacuated a mall and called in a bomb squad after a package made out of a military-grade ammunition can was found Tuesday outside a local Republican Party campaign office.

Officers in Hudson were sent to the scene just before 9 a.m. Police said the package has been identified as a potential threat and the area has been cordoned off, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

Hudson officials placed trucks full of dirt in front of the GOP headquarters, and a bomb squad has been dispatched from Wausau, Wisconsin, Hudson Police Chief Geoff Willems said.

No one was in the office when the package was discovered, Willems said.

“We have differences in our views, in our philosophies, and our vision for America, but violence or threats of violence cannot stand because such actions lead to potential destruction that can’t be overcome,” Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Andrew Hitt said in a statement.

A safety perimeter was set up and a local mall was evacuated. Police said they are working with several agencies to secure the area and are asking the public to avoid the area. The investigation is ongoing.

Hudson is a town of about 14,000 located 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Minneapolis.