German police: Explosives found near Christmas market

Authorities in the German city of Potsdam evacuated a Christmas market to investigate a suspicious object, Brandenburg state police said in a tweet.

"The IED-suspicion has been confirmed," police in the state of Brandenburg tweeted. "The affected area in the city center must be cleared. Please pay attention to our announcements via loudspeaker."

The package had been delivered to a pharmacy near the market, reported the Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten newspaper. According to police, the explosive was successfully defused.

High alert

Last year, a failed asylum seeker from Tunisia drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.

Since then, Germany has been on high alert for a possible terror attacks. As Christmas markets began opening across the country over the past week, police bolstered their presence, with authorities erecting car barriers and covering them in gift wrap.

This story was originally posted on DW.com. Its contents are separate from Paste BN.