Baltimore riots 2015: President Barack Obama condemns rioters, police report more than 200 arrests [live blog]

Smoke bombs and tear gas have been thrown by police, according to Guardian US reporter Paul Lewis.

Congressman Elijah Cummings is attempting to convince protesters still out in the streets of Baltimore to go home and respect the curfew that began at 10pm. Cummings has told protesters that "there is nothing wrong with protesting" but that everyone should "go home to your families".

The media present is also being asked to head home. According to reporter Paul Lewis, the atmosphere has turned a bit tense.

Minutes after the curfew officially takes effect, police are attempting to get protestors to head home to avoid being arrested.

Watch live:

However, USA Today reporter Yamiche Alcindor says things are getting "chaotic" on the streets of Baltimore, as some protestors refuse to head home before the curfew takes effect.

Guardian US reporter Jon Swaine is reporting that a protective line between police and protesters is forming.

The citywide curfew is set to take effect at 10pm EST and will last until 5am tomorrow.

According to reports on Twitter, former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is being yelled at as he walks the streets of Baltimore. O'Malley announced earlier on Tuesday that he would cut short his trip to Ireland to return to the city.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan speaks to the press:

Baltimore City Councilman Nick Mosby spoke to Sky News and said that while he does not condone the violence, he understands it. He added the the riots were about much more than Freddie Gray.

Baltimore Police have updated the public on the protests on 28 April. Captain Kowalclzyk reported that 20 officers were injured during the riots. He reported there were 144 vehicle fires and that one person is in critical condition following a structural fire. Kowalclzyk said that protesters at North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue were "peaceful" that are "voicing their concern".

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei criticised the US government's police brutality in a series of tweets. On 26 April, he tweeted, "It's ridiculous that even though US President is black, still such crimes against US blacks continue to occur."

Khamenei continued to tweet about events in Baltimore on 28 April.

Read more about Khamenei's critical tweets here.

According to police, crowds at North Avenue and Pennsylvania Ave were throwing items at officers.

A full statement has been released regarding the Baltimore Orioles games:

The Baltimore Orioles have announced that the Wednesday (28 April) game will go on as planned, but will not be opened to the public. The team also informed fans that the games postponed on 27 April and 28 April will be played on doubleheader game on 28 May.

Former Baltimore Ravens football player Ray Lewis released a video condemning the rioters. "Baltimore, get off the streets!" he said in the video posted on Facebook. "Kids, go home, stay home. You don't have no right to do what you're doing to this city. Too many hardworking people built this city."

Following a day of intensely violent protests in Baltimore, Maryland, President Barack Obama condemned rioters, calling them "criminals" and "thugs". He added that the issues experienced in Baltimore and other cities between African Americans and police will require broader societal changes, the Baltimore Sun reported.

"If we are serious about solving this problem, then we're going to need to not only help the police, we're to have to think about what we can do—the rest of us," the president said during a press conference at the Rose Garden. "That's hard," Obama said. "That requires more than just the occasional news report or task force."

"If we really want to solve the problem, if our society really wanted to solve the problem, we could. It's just that it would require everyone saying, 'this is important, this is significant,'" Obama continued. "And we don't just pay attention when a CVS burns."

The president said that members of the Justice Department will visit Baltimore and are also investigating the death of Freddie Gray, who suffered a spinal injury while in Baltimore Police custody that led to his death.

Obama also took time to critcised those rioting. "That is not a protest. That is not a statement," he said. "It's a handful of people taking advantage of the situation. They need to be treated as criminals."

According to the Baltimore Sun, the riots on 27 April resulted in 144 vehicle fires, 15 structural fires and 202 arrests. Baltimore Police announced that the city will be under a general curfew beginning at 10pm EST on 28 April to 5am EST on 4 May.

During a Monday night press conference, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the city was working to reign in the rioters.

"Too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs who in a very senseless way are trying to destroy what so many folks have fought for," she said.

"We are deploying every resource possible to try to regain control."

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan deployed National Guard members as the riots continued into the night.

In a statement released on 28 April, Hogan said, "As the state aggressively takes action to restore peace and order in Baltimore City, I want the citizens of Maryland to know that the state is fully engaged on all levels. National Guardsmen, Maryland State Troopers, and supplies have been sent to areas within the city and we will continue to provide resources as needed."

A complete list of law enforcement and services headed to Baltimore can be found here.

Monday's riots also led the Baltimore Orioles to postpone a game against the Chicago White Sox. On 28 April, the baseball team's Twitter account announced that a second game would be cancelled.

"After consultation with Baltimore City Police Department, tonight's game between the Orioles & White Sox at Oriole Park has been postponed," the team announced. According to Rolling Stone, the team's COO John Angelos issued a poignant statement on the ongoing protests.

"The innocent working families of all backgrounds whose lives and dreams have been cut short by excessive violence, surveillance and other abuses of the Bill of Rights by government pay the true price, and ultimate price, one that far exceeds the importance of any kids' game played tonight, or ever, at Camden Yards," he wrote. "We need to keep in mind people are suffering and dying around the U.S., and while we are thankful no one was injured at Camden Yards, there is a far bigger picture for poor Americans in Baltimore and everywhere who don't have jobs and are losing economic, civil and legal rights, and this makes inconvenience at a ballgame irrelevant in light of the needless suffering government is inflicting upon ordinary Americans."