Trump threatens to shoot Minneapolis looters

US president Donald Trump has lashed out at those protesting in Minneapolis over the death of an unarmed black man in police custody, calling those involved in a third night of street clashes “thugs”.

Trump said he would not “stand back and watch this happen to a great American City”, adding that he had spoken to Minnesota governor Tim Waltz and told him “the military is with him all the way”.

“Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Mr Trump warned.

Minneapolis police station torched amid protest over killing of George Floyd

A Minneapolis police station has been set on fire amid mounting protests over the killing by police of an unarmed black man.

On the third straight day of protests over the killing of George Floyd, who died after his neck was stepped on by a white police officer, crowds stormed the station of the city’s 3rd precinct.

Fire alarms could be heard as blazes were set.

Police appeared to have left the left the area before the protesters surged into the station located near the city’s Seward neighbourhood, reports Andrew Buncombe in this round-up of events overnight:

We're providing live updates on unrest in Minneapolis, where a third day of rallies over the police killing of George Lloyd have broken out into arson and looting. 

Demonstrators have torched a police station that officers were forced to abandon as well as shops in Minnesota's largest city as anger flares across the US over the death of Floyd, who was filmed handcuffed and pleading for air as a white police officer knelt on his neck.

Donald Trump has responded by calling the protesters "thugs" and threatening to send in the military to shot them.