German police give all-clear over packages at Merkel's office

German police gave the all-clear after investigating five items delivered to Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in central Berlin on Wednesday.

Officers had cordoned off the Chancellery as ministers gathered for a morning cabinet meeting inside. Germany and other European powers have been on particularly high alert since Islamist militants killed 130 people in Paris on Nov. 13.

The cabinet meeting went ahead as planned and police started removing the cordon later in the morning. "The experts found nothing suspicious," a spokesman for Germany's Federal Police said.

He said five items had been opened without saying whether they were packages or letters.

Police shut down two train stations in Munich over New Year after receiving a tip that militants from Iraq and Syria were planning attacks.

In 2010, police intercepted a package in Merkel's mailroom at the chancellery which Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said contained explosives sent from Greece.

- Reuters