Suspicious Letter Sent To German President Destroyed

German President Joachim Gauck (file photo)

German police have destroyed a package addressed to the country's president that was suspected of containing explosives.

The office of President Joachim Gauck said the letter was found during routine checks of mail on April 19.

The package was then destroyed in a controlled explosion in the park outside the presidential Bellevue residence in downtown Berlin.

Gauck was not at his residence at the time, and no staff members were endangered.

A spokeswoman for the presidential office said the substance in the package was being tested in a police laboratory.

Based on reporting by dpa, Reuters, and AFP