German Christmas market evacuated after suspicious package found

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A map showing the location of Potsdam.

A Christmas market in Germany has been evacuated after authorities found a suspicious package.

German police said special forces were on site to examine the object in Potsdam, a town just outside Berlin, according to the Reuters news agency.

They said the Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten newspaper described it as a package measuring 40 cm (15.75 inches) by 50 cm that had been delivered to a pharmacy near the market.

The newspaper reportedly said police were alerted around 2.30 p.m. local time when an employee opened the package and found wires and electronics inside.

Last year a Christmas market in Berlin itself was attacked, killing a total of 12 people.