Three Men Arrested In Suspected German Terror Plot
Posted September 5, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A terrorist plot was allegedly foiled in Germany on Tuesday after authorities arrested three men accused of being an imminent threat.
The trio had allegedly trained in Pakistan with an al-Qaida-influenced group and were arrested on suspicion of plotting a massive bomb attack.
While authorities are declining to say what specific locations were part of the men’s alleged plan, the US air base at Ramstein and Frankfurt ‘s international airport are thought to be two of the bigger targets.
Officials say the group had enough bomb-making material – around 700 kilograms of hydrogen peroxide – to construct a device more powerful than the ones used in the London and Madrid transit bombings.
German Federal Prosecutor Monika Harms says the suspects had an eye on institutions and establishments frequented by Americans in Germany , including discos and pubs.
“We were able to succeed in recognizing and preventing the most serious and massive bombings,” says Harms.
Officials said the solution of hydrogen peroxide, stored in a hideout, could have been mixed easily with other additives to produce a bomb with the explosive power of some 550 kilograms of TNT.
The three men – two Germans who converted to Islam, aged 22 and 28, as well as a 29-year-old Turk – first came to the attention of authorities because they had been caught observing a US military facility in Hanau, near Frankfurt, at the end of 2006.
All three had undergone training at camps in Pakistan run by the Islamic Jihad Union and had formed a German cell of the group, which officials say was heavily influenced by al-Qaida.
The three had no steady work and were drawing unemployment benefits while their main occupation was the plot.
“This group distinguishes itself through its profound hatred of US citizens,” stated government officials.
Members of Germany ‘s elite GSG-9 anti-terrorist unit arrested two suspects at a holiday home in central Germany on Tuesday. A third managed to escape through a bathroom window, but was later apprehended about 300 metres away by federal police who had roped off the area.
The suspects made their first court appearances Wednesday.
Photo Credit: Thomas Lohnes/AFP/Getty Images
