Bomb found in package at Merkel’s office

BERLIN - A suspicious package intercepted Tuesday at German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office was confirmed to contain explosives, media reported.

High-level security experts told the daily Berliner Morgenpost that the package contained an as yet unknown explosive mechanism that could have detonated.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said the package was spotted during a routine check on incoming mail, prompting officials to alert the police.

“It turns out that we cannot rule out that the package may have contained an explosive substance,” Seibert said.

Police were still investigating the package, he added.

The parcel had arrived at the chancellery at around 1 p.m. (1200 GMT), with the sender marked as the Greek economics ministry.

Merkel was on an official visit to Belgium at the time.

The delivery came one day after Greek police arrested two suspects carrying a parcel bomb addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

A series of similar bombs have also been intercepted on their way to embassies in the Greek capital Athens over the last two days.

One bomb exploded outside the Swiss Embassy Tuesday after it was thrown into a garden, and one addressed to the Chilean Embassy was discovered in a mail van outside parliament.

Parcel bombs were also detonated by police at the Russian, Chilean and Bulgarian embassies. Another addressed to the German embassy was intercepted at the offices of a courier company.