A US man has been charged after police said he left a toilet made to look like a bomb outside a county office building.

Duane Davis Sr was charged late with placing an imitation destructive device outside the old Baltimore County courthouse in Maryland.

Police said a mobile phone, an electronic device and a note signed by the 51-year-old Davis were attached to the toilet, and it was decorated with newspaper clippings and photos.

A police spokesman said the county bomb squad investigated and the toilet proved harmless.

Davis is being held, with bail set at 200,000 US dollars. He is also charged with making a false statement on Facebook about leaving destructive devices outside the building.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.