German police looking for Potsdam 'bomb scare' perpetrator
Surveillance and counter terrorism security measures stepped up at Christmas markets throughout the country.
![German police](https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1601110/german-police.jpg?w=736&f=76cfe4c8a47b09d6550bf197a9345053)
Police in Germany have stepped up surveillance and counter terrorism security measures at Christmas markets throughout the country after the city of Potsdam was hit by a bomb scare.
Late on Friday (1 December), a Christmas market in the city was was evacuated because of a suspicious package.
Authorities said the package containing nails and an unidentified powder was destroyed in a controlled explosion.
A hunt is now underway for the sender of the package which did not appear to be a viable device, a spokesperson added.
The package was delivered to a pharmacy on the same street as the Christmas market in the centre of Potsdam, a city near the capital Berlin. Police have so far not clarified whether the store or the market was being targeted.
Germany remains on alert following a deadly truck attack at a Christmas market in downtown Berlin last December which killed 12 people. Such markets are extremely popular in Europe throughout the festive period.