Police confirm explosives at Christmas market in Germany's Potsdam

A suspicious item found on Friday at a Christmas market in the German city of Potsdam has been confirmed as an improvised explosive device (IED), the local police said.

A policeman (R) stands on the side of an empty Christmas market after it was evacuated by police, Potsdam, Germany, December 1, 2017.[Photo: IC]

The authorities in Potsdam evacuated the Christmas market for the suspicious item, and later the Brandenburg Police tweeted that the suspicion was confirmed as an IED.

The controlled defusing of the suspicious object was later successfully conducted by the special forces of the German Federal Police in Berlin and Brandenburg.

The item is, according to the Potsdamer Latest News, a package measuring 40 x 50 inches delivered to a pharmacy and was found by an employee.

The Christmas market was closed and the area has been cleared. The police have set up a blocking circuit at the market, Brandenburg police said earlier