2018年CRI Man explodes small device outside US Embassy in Beijing（在线收听）

A man sustained a hand injury when he detonated a "firecracker-like device" outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Thursday afternoon.

Photos on social media showed a large amount of smoke and police vehicles surrounding the embassy shortly after the incident. Apart from a heightened security presence, the scene outside appeared to be normal by early afternoon.

The Beijing police department posted a statement on its website identifying the suspect only by his surname, Jiang, and said he was 26 years old and a native of Tongliao city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia. 

There was no word on a motive and the statement said the investigation was continuing.

No damage was done to embassy property and no other injuries were recorded, a U.S. embassy spokesperson said, speaking on routine condition of anonymity.

Only one person was involved and police responded to the situation, the spokesperson said.

At a regular press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang described the incident as an "individual public security case" which was promptly and properly dealt with by police.

(AP and CGTN contributed to this story)