Story highlights Nails and wiring but no detonator found inside package, police said

12 people killed in Christmas market attack in December 2016

Berlin (CNN) A Christmas market on the outskirts of Berlin was evacuated Friday after authorities found what was thought to be an improvised explosive device (IED), police said on Twitter.

Later in the day, police said the cylindrical object contained nails, wires and batteries but no detonator.

Brandenburg police spokesman Thorsten Herbst said a suspicious package was delivered to a pharmacy in Potsdam. An employee opened the package, saw the device and called police, Herbst said.

He said police defused the device about three hours later. A follow-up police tweet clarified that no detonator was found.

Brandenburg police also said that the lockdown in the area near the Christmas market remains in place and that the investigation is still ongoing.

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