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Police advise caution with parcels after million-euro extortion attempt against DHL

AFP/DPA/The Local
AFP/DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Police advise caution with parcels after million-euro extortion attempt against DHL
A DHL employee in Hamburg. Photo: DPA.

Those responsible for a suspicious package that prompted the evacuation of the Christmas market in Potsdam were attempting blackmail, not terrorism, German authorities said on Sunday. Police now advise those accepting packages during the holiday season to be cautious.

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"It was not an act of terror but a common crime," said Heinrich Juncker, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation.

The device, discovered late Friday at a pharmacy just off the market in central Potsdam, a picturesque city near Berlin, revived fears of a repeat of last year's deadly terror attack at a Christmas market in the German capital.

According to authorities, the device found Friday was part of an attempt to extort millions of euros from German delivery service DHL.

READ ALSO: German police: 'Unlikely' that Christmas market was target of bomb scare

In a letter addressed to DHL, the blackmailers demanded "a sum amounting to several million euros" and threatened to send other parcel bombs - in the middle of the Christmas period - if they were not satisfied, said Brandenburg interior minister Karl-Heinz Schröter.

Police now advise people to be cautious when accepting parcels with unknown senders particularly during the pre-Christmas period. A police spokesperson told the German Press Agency (DPA) on Monday night that "if people feel suspicious, the police should definitely be called.”

This applies, for example, if the sender cannot be clearly identified or is completely absent. Police advise to refrain from opening suspicious packages.

Local authorities had said the cylindrical canister was filled with nails, powder, batteries and wires - as well as a powerful firework of a type not allowed in Germany - but there was no sign of a detonator.

However upon closer examination, police on Sunday said the device could have gone off.

"It had the ability to function" and could have caused "very serious injuries and killed people," Schröter said.

A pharmacist sounded the alert after finding a canister with wires inside the package. The pharmacist heard a "whistling" sound when opening it, which investigators believe means the explosive did not work as planned - although it was programmed to explode.

Police said this incident may be connected to one that occurred last month in the same Brandenburg region.

In that case, a parcel bomb was also sent to a local company but just caught fire when opened.

Authorities now think the suspects are from the Berlin region.

"The blackmailers warned they would continue to send parcel bombs if DHL does not pay," said local police chief Hans-Jürgen Morke, calling on Germans to remain vigilant.

SEE ALSO: Potsdam police disarm explosive device found at Christmas market

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