RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — The Brazilian military carried out a controlled explosion near the Copacabana finish line of Rio Olympics men’s road cycling race on Saturday, officials said.
Military bomb disposal experts were at the scene of the explosion and kept crowds away with police.
Simone Barreto, a media manager at the Fort Copacabana site used for the cycling, told AFP that the explosion was staged as a precaution.
“Forces responsible for security found an object, sort of a bag, outside the venue and outside the security perimeter.
“They decided to implement the procedure and to implode the object. The situation is now normal.”
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The explosion stunned crowds gathering for the end of the race. The race leaders were about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away at the time.
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