The US-made bomb was discovered during a systematic search at a construction site on Leipziger Straße. A 700-meter exclusion zone was set up around the site, covering large parts of the city center and Potsdam’s main train station. The area was closed from 8:30 a.m. and reopened around 11:15 a.m.
Bomb disposal expert Mike Schwitzke said the bomb contained about 100 kilograms of explosives and could have destroyed an apartment building. He unscrewed the fuse by hand – a controlled explosion was ruled out due to a cellar vault beneath the bomb. The defusal took between 30 minutes and two hours.
Train services at the main station were completely halted during the operation, affecting several regional and S-Bahn lines. Tram and bus lines also did not enter the exclusion zone. The city set up an evacuation center at the Humboldtring 17 sports hall and advised drivers to avoid the area.
This was the 220th aerial bomb found in Potsdam since 1990.
Source: Tagesschau
