Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Potsdam bomb alert: Object containing explosives under investigation by German police

Market and surrounding area evacuated as special forces defuse the device 

Friday 01 December 2017 17:22 GMT
Comments
Potsdam bomb alert: police cordon off Christmas market

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

German police say a suspicious item found at a Christmas market in Potsdam, just outside of Berlin, contained explosives.

Both the market and the surrounding area were evacuated as special forces investigated and there were no injuries.

The suspicious object was delivered to a pharmacy on the same street as the Christmas market and it measured 40 cm by 50 cm, it has been reported.

"The suspicion of an improvised explosive device has been confirmed," police said on Twitter.

Police have now confirmed that the explosive device has now been defused and spokesman Torsten Herbst said on n-tv that it was not clear what the device was made of.

Some reports had suggested it was a cylindrical object packed with nails but this has yet to be verified.

Brandenburg Interior Minister Karl-Heinz Schroeter said: "The evaluation and analysis is just beginning now," he said. "If it was really explosive or if it was a fake or a dummy, we will only know through further investigation."

The verified police Twitter account of Brandenburg police said the IED suspicion had been confirmed.

"The USBV suspicion has been confirmed. The affected area in the city centre of Potsdam must be cleared! Please note our loudspeaker announcements," one of the tweets read.

Germany is on high alert for potential terrorist attacks after last year's deadly attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in