Germany: Suspected letter bomb sent to President Joachim Gauck
German President Joachim Gauck stands outside his official residence, the Bellevue Palace, in Berlin on April 16, 2013.
A suspected letter bomb sent to the official residence of German President Joachim Gauck was intercepted and detonated on Friday.
Die Welt reported the letter contained the “highly explosive” substance HMTD, but this hasn’t been confirmed by federal police investigating the incident.
The package was intercepted during a routine inspection on Friday morning and later detonated in a park near the presidential palace in Berlin, The Local reported. It is not clear who sent the letter.
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It would not be the first time a letter bomb had been sent to a high-ranking German official.
In 2010, a parcel containing an explosive powder was sent from Greece to the offices of Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. It was also intercepted and rendered harmless.
A Greek anarchist group claimed responsibility for that incident.
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