Main developments

— Authorities in the eastern German city of Potsdam have evacuated a Christmas market to investigate a suspicious object.

— The package contained a "cylindrical object with cables, batteries and nails," but police have said that so far no detonator has been found, suggesting either that the device was an intentional dummy or had been assembled incorrectly.

— Germany has upped security at Christmas markets this year following a 2016 attack in Berlin that killed 12 people.

Read more: A year on from terror attack, Berlin Christmas market opens calmly

Schröter said investigations were underway to determine whether the package contained explosive materials

Investigations underway

Brandenburg state Interior Minister Karl-Heinz Schröter told reporters on Friday evening that the suspicious package contained nails and powder, adding that authorities were still verifying whether that powder was explosive.

"The investigations are still just beginning," Schröter said.

X-rays have confirmed the presence of nails, but the powder might be fake, designed to look like a bomb, he added.

Responding to the suspicious package earlier in the evening, Brandenburg state police said it appeared to contain an "improvised explosive device."

The device was successfully disabled after special forces from the federal police arrived on the scene, police said.

The package had been delivered to a pharmacy near the Christmas market. Upon opening the package, a pharmacist called the police.

Authorities then cleared the nearby Christmas market and conducted a search.

Shortly before 10 p.m. local time (21:00 UTC/GMT), police said a search of the area had been "completed" and nothing else was discovered.

Meanwhile, police in Potsdam said that as a result of Friday's incident, they will bolster their presence at the Christmas market with extra officers from Germany's rapid response and support division, the Bereitschaftspolizei.

Authorities in neighboring Berlin said their personnel had been put on alert, but were waiting to find out more information about the incident in Potsdam.

High terror alert

Last December, an attack on a Christmas market in the German capital killed 12 people when a failed asylum seeker drove a truck into the crowd. Tunisian national Anis Amri was shot dead by Italian police in Milan four days after he committed the attack.

Since then, Germany has been on high alert for possible terror attacks. As Christmas markets began opening across the country over the past week, police beefed up their presence, with authorities erecting car barriers.

Earlier this week, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told Bild newspaper that people should be "alert but not afraid" when visiting Christmas markets.

He added that the threat of a terror attack is "simply high, anytime and anywhere," but noted that "Christmas markets are part of our lives and culture."



Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Nuremberg Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt is a must for anyone coming to Germany for the Christmas markets. Dating back to at least 1628, it embodies everything we have come to associate with German Christmas markets. Its unique selling point is the Christmas angel, played by a young Nuremberg woman, who makes a speech to ceremonially open the market every year.

Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Dresden The Striezelmarkt looks back on a tradition centuries old. It was first held in 1434 as a one-day market ahead of the holidays. The word Striezelmarkt comes from Strüzel, - a type of light, airy fruitcake sold at the market, now famous as Stollen or Christstollen.

Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Bautzen It may be small, but the Wenzelsmarkt in Bautzen is rather special. It was founded 1384, when King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia decreed a pre-Christmas meat market.

Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Cologne The Christmas market next to Cologne Cathedral is one of the biggest in Germany. It attracts some 4 million visitors every year. Round about the largest Christmas tree in the Rhineland, more than 160 festively designed wooden pavilions offer an vast selection of sweets and local delicacies as well as mulled wine in decorative Christmas mugs.

Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Hamburg At this time of the year, the Hamburg district of Sankt Pauli shows both its traditional and its playful sides. All around the notorious Reeperbahn entertainment district, is Hamburg's adults-only Christmas market. At the "Santa Pauli" Christmas market you can enjoy delicious mulled wine and buy jewelry, souvenirs and other typical St. Pauli gifts - such as dildos, sex-toys and more.

Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Lübeck The market in this Hanseatic city is probably the best known in northern Germany. It was first mentioned in 1648. Marzipan lovers can have a field day at the Lübeck Christmas market. Opposite the town hall (pictured) is the Cafe Niederegger - the famous producer of marzipan, which some say was invented in Lübeck.

Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Munich Mulled wine, organic sausages and, of course, lots of culture - that's what Munich's Tollwood Winter Festival on the Theresienwiese has to offer. The four week event is billed as a forum for ecology and environmental awareness. The products and toys bought here are all fair-trade certified.

Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Chiemsee Lake This Christmas Market has a truly remarkable and romantic setting surrounded by the crystal clear Lake Chiemsee at the foot of the Bavarian Alps. The market on the Island of Frauenchiemsee commands a view of Herrenchiemsee Island, and its famous Herrenchiemsee Castle, built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria - the swan king who also initiated construction of Neuschwanstein Castle.

Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Aachen The Christmas market in the shadow of Aachen cathedral is comparatively young, only dating back to the 1970s. As Aachen lies near the Belgian and Dutch borders, the market has an international feel with many visitors from the Benelux. An absolute must to try and buy at this market are the local Printen pastries similar to gingerbread.

Germany's 10 best Christmas markets Annaberg-Buchholz This award-winning Christmas market in the Ore Mountains is rather special. It boasts an enormous Christmas tree as well as a Christmas pyramid, with story figures of Christmas, the town and the local mining industry. From over 80 lovingly decorated booths you can buy genuine traditional Ore Mountain woodworking, incense cones and Annaberg folded stars. Author: Andreas Kirchhoff



ls/cmk (Reuters, AFP)