A parcel bomb delivered to the Handwerkskammer trades association in Berlin last week was another attempt to blackmail German logistics giant DHL, investigators said on Tuesday.

"It is highly likely that the package was sent by the perpetrator or perpetrators who are trying to blackmail package delivery service DHL for millions (of euros)," said Torsten Herbst, a spokesman for the Brandenburg police department.

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 last Thursday. A worker became suspicious after noticing wires protruding from the package.

A bomb disposal team diffused the bomb without an explosion being set off. Police said the size of the package meant that it could have seriously injured people had it exploded.

The bomb package was the fourth believed to be part of the extortion scheme against DHL in recent months.

Read more: Threats like DHL extortion plot in Potsdam more common than you think

In November, a parcel bomb was found in Frankfurt an der Oder. In December, a parcel bomb delivered to a pharmacy in Potsdam forced the brief closure of one of the city's Christmas markets. In January, a bank in Berlin received a package containing powder and fireworks.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> It is the fourth parcel bomb in recent months blamed on the blackmailer, who has demanded €10 million worth of bitcoins from the parcel delivery service DHL.

The latest parcel containing explosive material was sent to the Berlin Chamber of Crafts and "can in all likelihood be attributed to the DHL extortionist or extortionists," a Potsdam police spokesman told AFP.

A female employee at the trade association contacted the police on Thursday after she noticed wires protruding from the package.

Specialists were able to defuse the parcel without having to carry out a controlled explosion.

German police have been hunting for one or more suspects ever since a DHL parcel containing nails, screws and explosive powder from Polish fireworks, was received by a pharmacy in the city of Potsdam, near Berlin, in December.

That package failed to detonate upon opening but nevertheless prompted police to clear the nearby Christmas market as a precaution.

The evacuation revived fears of the jihadist attack on a Berlin Christmas market a year earlier, which killed 12 people.

Police later discovered a message inside the package threatening further parcel bombs unless DHL made a €10-million, untraceable payment in the virtual currency bitcoin.

A similar package was sent to an online retailer in the eastern city of Frankfurt an der Oder in November, believed to have come from the same source.

Another parcel bomb linked to the extortion plot was delivered to a Berlin bank in January, containing a detonator and what appeared to be powder from fireworks. It too was defused by police. </s> Image caption The device sent to Heathrow Airport caught fire when staff opened it

Counter-terror police are investigating three packages containing explosives found at Heathrow Airport, London City Airport and Waterloo station.

The "small improvised explosive devices" were found in A4 postal bags, the Metropolitan Police said.

The force's Counter Terrorism Command is treating it as a "linked series" and "keeping an open mind" about motives.

Irish police are assisting the Met as the Heathrow and Waterloo packages had Republic of Ireland stamps.

Heathrow's Compass Centre was evacuated after a package was reported to police at about 09:55 GMT.

The device caught fire when staff opened the bag.

Image caption A second explosive was found in the post room at Waterloo station with the same "Love & Wedding" stamps

Scotland Yard said: "The packages - all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags - have been assessed by specialist officers to be small improvised explosive devices.

"These devices, at this early stage of the investigation, appear capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened."

A Heathrow spokeswoman said the airport would support the police investigation into the "criminal act".

The Gardaí confirmed it was also assisting the Met.

Ireland's postal service identified the stamps as its "Love & Wedding" design for greeting cards, wedding invitations and thank-you cards.

The Compass Centre, which is an office for Heathrow staff rather than part of the passenger terminals, remains closed.

The picture of the jiffy bag addressed to Waterloo appears to show its sender's address as Bus Eireann, Dublin.

The operator said police had not been in touch, with a spokeswoman saying: "Bus Eireann are currently not aware of this and we have no further comment."

Analysis: BBC News Home Affairs Correspondent Daniel Sandford

Working explosive devices being sent through the mail - or letter bombs - are very rare in the UK.

Fortunately these packages only appear to be designed to start a very small fire - the one that went off just melted part of its own plastic envelope, and the other two were not opened.

But there is sufficient concern about today's incidents for them to be investigated as a linked series by Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command.

This means the full weight of resources and expertise of one of the world's most experienced counter terrorism teams will be trying to get to the bottom of who sent the packages and why.

The motive is unclear. It could be anything from Irish republicanism to a grievance against transport companies. Other possibilities include someone with strong opinions about Brexit or someone with mental health problems.

The devices do not seem to be capable of causing serious injury, so they were probably intended to have a nuisance effect and to generate publicity, which they have successfully done.

Police will be hoping the series is now over.

Two more packages were found in the capital over the next three hours.

An area of Waterloo station was cordoned off after a second package was discovered in the post room at about 11:40, the BBC understands.

One worker among a group of staff outside the Network Rail office said he found the package.

Asked about the discovery, he said: "I'm sorry, I've been told I can't talk about it."

About 100 workers were evacuated from City Aviation House at City Airport in Newham after a third package was reported at about 12:10.

City Aviation House is a two-minute walk from the passenger terminal.

Staff returned to the office at about 16:00.

The second and third packages were not opened and have since been "made safe", police said.

Flights were not affected but Docklands Light Railway trains did not stop at City Airport for about an hour during the investigation.

Image caption A cordon was in place at Waterloo station, where one of the devices was found at 11:40

Assistant Chief Constable Sean O'Callaghan, from British Transport Police, said commuters should feel "safe and reassured" while travelling.

"Officers will be highly visible on station concourses, on board trains as well as the London Underground network," he added.

"Passengers are of course the eyes and ears of the network and we want to hear from you if you see something that doesn't look right."

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling urged people to report "anything suspicious" to police, while Mayor of London Sadiq Khan added: "Our thanks go to police, security, transport staff and all involved for their swift actions to keep our city safe." </s> French police have arrested two men after a suspected parcel bomb exploded in Lyon last week, injuring 13 people.

The device, packed with screws and ball bearings, detonated outside a bakery on Friday afternoon.

One of the men arrested, a 24-year-old, is the suspected bomber, prosecutors say. No details have been given on the other.

Police had been hunting for a man seen cycling near the scene of the blast wearing a balaclava and rucksack.

Anti-terrorist prosecutors are leading the investigation, co-ordinating with Lyon police and France's internal security service, the DGSI.

The explosion struck near the corner of two crowded pedestrian streets in Lyon's historic city centre.

Investigators have reportedly recovered screws, ball bearings, along with a printed circuit, batteries and a remote-controlled trigger device.

Denis Broliquier, the city's district mayor, told press that "the charge was too small to kill," and a government source told AFP news agency it had been a "relatively weak explosive charge".

Those hurt, including a girl aged eight, appear to have suffered superficial injuries.

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner confirmed one of the arrests in a Tweet on Monday, saying joint action by several agencies had been "decisive".

Gérard Collomb, Mayor of Lyon, told local media that a second man was also arrested without giving further detail.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The last time a parcel bomb had exploded in France was in 2007 when a device killed one person and injured another in front of a law office in Paris. Police never found the bomber.

Jihadist gun and bomb attacks have killed more than 250 people in France since 2015 and the country remains on high alert, with military patrols a regular feature of security in cities including Lyon. </s> At least eight people are said be injured after a ‘parcel bomb’ filled with nails, screws and bolts exploded in Lyon, France.

Witnesses at the scene claim the device was a self-improvised explosive, left on Victor Hugo Street.

Two people are believed to be in a serious condition.

The perpetrator is unknown at this stage and emergency services are tending to the scene.

A police cordon has now been erected at the scene.

If you have a story for our news team, email us at webnews@metro.co.uk. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. </s> BERLIN -- German police searched nationwide Sunday for a 22-year-old Syrian man believed to have been preparing a bombing attack, who slipped through their fingers as they were closing in on him, and were questioning a second Syrian man on suspicion he was involved in the plot.

The man in custody was one of three apprehended in the eastern city of Chemnitz on Saturday. He was the renter of the apartment that police raided in their search for the main suspect, Jaber Albakr from the Damascus area of Syria, Saxony police spokesman Tom Bernhardt told The Associated Press. The other two men have been released.

He said the man in custody was Albakr's "countryman" but would not give other details.

"We believe he is a possible co-conspirator," Bernhardt said.

On Saturday morning, as police prepared to raid the apartment building, Albakr was observed leaving the premises. Police fired a warning shot but were unable to stop him, Bernhardt said, confirming German media reports.

They thought he had turned back into the building but was not the case, he said.

Bernhardt also confirmed reports that Albakr had come to Germany in the flood of 890,000 migrants who entered the country in 2015 and had been granted asylum.

Nobody was in the apartment when police SWAT teams blew down the door Saturday, but investigators found "several hundred grams" of a volatile explosive hidden in the flat, enough to cause significant damage, Bernhardt said.

"With this highly volatile explosive, even a few hundred grams is no trifle," he said. "For an explosive of this type, it was a considerable amount."

He said experts were still trying to determine whether it was the same explosive used in the deadly Nov. 13 attacks in Paris and the March 22 attacks in Brussels known as TATP, or triacetone triperoxide.

"It's comparable to that," he said.

TATP has been used in many attacks over the years, and is favored by violent extremists because it's fairly easy to make and detonate.

The explosives were destroyed Saturday in a controlled detonation by bomb squad experts in a pit dug outside the five-story apartment building because they were considered too dangerous to transport.

The raid came after Saxony police were given a tip from Germany's domestic intelligence service that Albakr may be planning an attack. He had been on the agency's radar, but Bernhardt said it was not clear how long.

 German media have reported that Albakr is believed to be connected to Islamic extremist groups, but Saxony police have not commented on his possible motivation or the bomb plot's target.

Germany has been on edge since two attacks this summer claimed by the Islamic State in which multiple people were injured and both assailants died. Two other attacks unrelated to Islamic extremism, including a deadly mall shooting in Munich, have also contributed to fears.

Federal police have increased security around the country, particularly around "critical infrastructure" like train stations and airports, as authorities search for Albakr. </s> London: Britain's counter terrorism police are investigating after three padded mailing bags with what appears to be small explosive devices inside were found at Heathrow Airport, London City Airport and Waterloo station.

Police said smaller bags inside the mailers enclosed the devices that "appear capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened".

According to officials, the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command "is treating the incidents as a linked series".

One mailer was found near Heathrow Airport. The building was evacuated as a precaution after the package was opened and part of it burned.

Officials said that the building is not at the airport and flights were not affected. There were no injuries were reported.

Another mailer turned up near City Airport, and the third in the mail room at Waterloo Station. The package at the rail station was not opened.

Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button. </s> Image copyright AP Image caption Police failed to find the suspect in a raid on an apartment

Police in the eastern German city of Chemnitz have detained three people as they continue a search for a suspect believed to be planning a bomb attack.

Acting on a tip-off from the domestic intelligence service, police raided a flat but failed to find the suspect, Jaber al-Bakr, 22, who was born in Syria. He remains on the run.

Several hundred grams of "highly volatile" explosives were found at the property, investigators said.

They were destroyed by a bomb squad.

About 100 people were evacuated from the block of flats as the explosives were moved for a controlled detonation.

Two people in contact with Mr al-Bakr were detained at Chemnitz railway station and another person was detained near the flat in the Fritz-Heckert neighbourhood, Kathlen Zink of Saxony's criminal investigation office said.

She said they were suspected of being "linked with the suspect somehow" and had been taken in for questioning.

Image copyright AFP Image caption A robot capable of disarming bombs has been deployed at Chemnitz railway station

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Police check cars at Berlin's Schoenefeld

The "where, when, how and why" of the planned attack remained unknown according to Tom Bernhardt, a spokesman for the same office.

He said the explosives in the flat were "relatively well hidden".

Saxony police have released pictures of Damascus-born Mr al-Bakr wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt with a colourful print.

They have not provided any information about how long he had been in Germany.

They have urged anyone with information about him to come forward.

Image copyright @PolizeiSachsen

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's popularity has waned since her decision to open the borders to refugees and migrants last year, admitting more than a million people, many of them Syrian.

In July, an axe attack on a train near Wuerzburg and a suicide bombing in Ansbach wounded 20 people and were claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS). </s> BERLIN: German police said Wednesday they had foiled a biological attack with last week´s arrest of a Tunisian suspected militant in possession of the deadly poison ricin and bomb-making material.

"Very concrete preparations had been made for an act with a ... biological bomb, which is a first for Germany," said Holger Muench, head of the BKA Federal Criminal Police Office. German police commandos on June 12 stormed the Cologne apartment of the 29-year-old Tunisian identified only as Sief Allah H. and discovered "toxic substances" that turned out to be ricin.

Produced by processing castor beans, ricin is lethal in minute doses if swallowed, inhaled or injected and 6,000 times more potent than cyanide, with no known antidote. Muench said, speaking to German public radio, that "we became aware of this person a few months ago, and then evidence emerged pointing to links to the so-called Islamic State".

The Tunisian man, who has been charged with possession of weapons of war and planning a serious act of violence against the state, was thought to have followed instructions on making a ricin bomb disseminated online by the IS.

"There are instructions on how to do this, including by militants' organisations, on the Internet, and this person was obviously guided by that," Muench said. Prosecutors have said he was "strongly suspected of intentionally manufacturing biological weapons", but they reiterated Wednesday they still lacked concrete indications or details of an attack plan.

The head of the BND foreign intelligence service, Hans-Georg Maassen, said that a "very likely" attack had been prevented thanks to "cooperation between security service at the national and international level," news agency DPA reported.

Bild daily has reported Germany received a warning from the CIA based on the suspect´s online purchases. The domestic intelligence service BfV said it also received a tip-off over a telephone hotline about the Tunisian, who is married to a German woman who recently converted to Islam, DPA reported.

During the police raid, said Muench, "we found a large number of castor seeds from which to make (ricin), as well as the utensils you need to make an explosive device". "Which concrete target he had in mind we don't know yet ... and the question of possible accomplices also remains open."

Prosecutors say Sief Allah H started buying the equipment and ingredients to make ricin in mid-May, including online purchases of thousands of "castor seeds and an electric coffee grinder".

Police had found over 3,000 castor seeds and 84 milligrams of ricin, as well as 950 grams of pyrotechnic powder, two bottles of flammable liquid, wires soldered to light bulbs and 240 metal balls. He had been in contact with militants and had tried twice last year to travel via Turkey to Syria, "presumably to the ´Islamic State´" bases there, they said in a statement.

The case comes after French authorities in mid-May said they had foiled an attack possibly involving ricin with the arrest of a 20-year-old Egyptian man. Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said it would have been committed "with explosives or ricin, this very powerful poison", and that the suspect "had tutorials that showed how to make ricin-based poisons".

The Egyptian man was tracked down through a pro-militant social media account, a source close to the investigation said. Germany remains on high alert after several deadly attacks claimed by the IS group, including a 2016 truck rampage through a Berlin Christmas market by Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri that claimed 12 lives.
German police defuse a parcel bomb in Berlin. It is thought to be the fourth device sent by a blackmailer targetting DHL.