The body of an unidentified man was found early Sunday near a burning vehicle in Minneapolis, police in the protest-rocked northern US city said.

Police spokesman John Elder said the body showed obvious signs of trauma, and the death was under investigation by the city's homicide unit.

It was unclear if it was related to protests that have swept the city since the death on Monday of George Floyd, an unarmed black man whose death in police custody has ignited nationwide unrest.

The city was put under curfew and thousands of National Guard troops have been mobilized in response to looting and arson in the Minnesota city.

Elder said the body was found after firefighters arrived on the scene in response to a report of a vehicle fire at 4.10am.

After they extinguished the blaze, police found the man's body nearby.

The man's identity and cause of death were not immediately disclosed, with police saying that information would be provided by the county medical examiner's office.

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