Berlin parcel bomb linked to DHL extortion plot
April 3, 2018
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.
Read more: Berlin police defuse parcel bomb at trade association
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.
Police defused the bombs.
cw/jm (AFP, dpa)