A suspicious package was found at a Berlin compound housing journalists with Russia’s RIA Novosti late on Friday. The editor-in-chief of the media group, Margarita Simonyan, said the package turned out to be an explosive device, citing German police.
“The Berlin police confirmed that an explosive device was planted in the house where our journalists live,” she said in a social media post.
RIA Novosti’s reporters said a loud “bang” was heard outside the compound as police sappers were working at the scene. It was not immediately clear whether the device went off or was destroyed by the police in a controlled explosion.
Footage from the scene shows a heavy police presence at the scene, with sappers donning heavy protective gear seen near the compound. The Berlin police has remained tight-lipped on the incident, only telling the local media that the officers had carried out an “investigation” at the site.
The device, which appeared to be a jerry can wrapped in duct tape with visible wires protruding out of it, was found at the building earlier in the day. The suspicious object was discovered when the building was checked after an unknown assailant attacked the compound, smashing a window with a bottle. The suspicious jerry can was concealed in a niche in the building’s façade.
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