Police evacuate Germany's Potsdam Christmas Market after finding suspicious device

Police evacuated visitors Friday from a Christmas market in Potsdam, Germany, so that a bomb squad could detonate a suspicious package discovered near the popular attraction.

What was found in the suspicious package?

The package, delivered to a nearby pharmacy, contained a "cylindrical object with cables, batteries, and nails." It didn't appear to have a detonator, police tweeted, suggesting the device was a "dummy" or assembled improperly, according to German media Deutsche Welle.

Brandenburg state Interior Minister Karl-Heinz Schröter told reporters a powder found in the device is undergoing tests to determine whether it was explosive.

"The investigations are still just beginning," Schröter said, adding that the powder might be a fake designed to look like a bomb.

Why does this matter?

The country remains on high alert since the 2016 terror attack at a Christmas market in Berlin.

Last year on Dec. 19, suspect Anis Amri of Tunisia drove a hijacked truck through crowds of people, killing 11 and injuring dozens. The suspect later died in a shootout with police in Italy. Police are beefing up their presence at Christmas markets across Germany.