Waterloo Police say items they believed to be mortar shells were discovered yesterday afternoon downtown near the West 6th Street bridge and the railroad bridge. Officers were called to the scene after a pair of fishermen along the Cedar River called letting them know of some suspicious objects they found while fishing. The Waterloo bomb squad was called in and they closed off the area while inspecting the scene. The objects were later determined to be mortar shells but none of them were explosive and were just the shell casings. The area was reopened once they were determined to be safe.
