Berlin police defuse parcel bomb
March 29, 2018
Berlin police on Thursday defused a package bomb at the Chamber of Tradesmen.
The approximately 15-centimeter-by-15-centimeter (6-inch-by-6-inch) package was found in the mailbox of the trade association in the Kreuzberg district. A worker became suspicious after noticing wires protruding from the package.
A bomb disposal team diffused the bomb without an explosion. Police said the size of the package meant that it could have seriously injured people had it exploded.
The Chamber of Tradesmen and a nearby street were closed off for several hours during the Thursday morning bomb scare.
The incident comes after a series of parcel bombs have been defused by police in the wider Berlin area.
In December, a parcel bomb delivered to a pharmacy in Potsdam forced the brief closure of one of the city's Christmas markets.
Police defused the bomb, which they suspect was part of a blackmail scheme targeting German logistics giant DHL.
Read more: Threats like DHL extortion plot in Potsdam more common than you think
Potsdam bomb scare likely aimed at blackmailing DHL, says German police
In January, a bank in Berlin received a package containing powder and fireworks. Police defused the bomb.
Asked whether Thursday's parcel bomb was linked to the DHL extortion plot, a police spokesperson said: "We are at the beginning of the investigation, but will naturally investigate parallels with other cases."
cw/sms (AFP, dpa)