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The Latest: German police explode and destroy suspect device

BERLIN (AP) - The Latest on the suspicious device found near a Christmas market in Germany: (all times local):

5:50 p.m.

German police say they've destroyed a suspicious object found at a Christmas market in the city of Potsdam that contained either explosives or flammable material.

Police spokesman Torsten Herbst said on n-tv that it was not yet clear exactly what the device was made of.

The object was found Friday afternoon. Police quickly evacuated the area and brought in experts to carry out a controlled explosion.

A truck attack on Berlin's Christmas market last year killed 12 people.

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5:35 p.m.

German police say they've evacuated a neighborhood in the city of Potsdam after finding a suspicious object near a Christmas market.

Potsdam police said they cleared the area around where the object was found on Friday afternoon and are investigating.

They said they have not found any explosives but "the investigation continues."

Authorities are taking extra precautions following the attack on Berlin's Christmas market last year by an Islamic extremist who drove a truck into the crowd, killing 12 people.

Police close the streets around a Christmas market after a suspicious object was found in Potsdam, eastern Germany, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. ( Julian Staehle/dpa via AP) The Associated Press
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