Germany: 10 More
BERLIN - German authorities were searching Thursday for about 10 suspected supporters of an Islamic group linked to al-Qaida believed to have assisted three militants arrested for plotting imminent attacks against Americans in Germany, an official said.
Authorities believed “some 10″ further suspects provided support to the two German converts and a Turkish citizen who were arrested Tuesday, August Hanning, a top security official, told the ARD broadcaster.
Prosecutors said the three had undergone training at camps in Pakistan run by the Islamic Jihad Union, and had formed a German cell of the al-Qaida-connected group.
They described the Islamic Jihad Union as a Sunni Muslim group based in Central Asia that was an offshoot of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an extremist group with origins in that country.
“This is the network that we are aware of at the moment,” Hanning said, adding that authorities believe the splintered cell—which includes more converted Germans, Turks and other citizens—no longer poses a direct security threat.
The three arrested suspects had military-style detonators and enough material to make bombs more powerful than those that killed 191 people in Madrid in 2004 and 52 commuters in London two years ago, prosecutors said Wednesday.
“We were able to succeed in recognizing and preventing the most serious and massive bombings,” German Federal Prosecutor Monika Harms said at a news conference Wednesday. She declined to name specific targets.
In Washington, a senior U.S. State Department official said German investigators had determined the Frankfurt International Airport and the nearby U.S. Ramstein Air Base were the primary targets of the plot, but that those arrested may have also been considering strikes on other sites, particularly facilities associated with the U.S.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe discussions between U.S. and German intelligence agencies.
Germany’s announcement was the second in two days that a major attack had been foiled in Europe, after Danish authorities arrested eight alleged Islamic militants with links to senior al-Qaida terrorists.
The German raids were launched after an intense, six-month investigation by 300 officers, who followed the suspects so closely that, at one point, police stealthily substituted a harmless alternate for the raw bomb material the suspects had collected, according to prosecutors.
German and U.S. officials have been increasingly on edge after Islamist attacks on German troops in Afghanistan, fearing an attack at home, and security measures had been increased.
Germany’s elite GSG-9 anti-terrorist unit arrested two of the suspects Tuesday at a vacation home in Oberschledorn, a town of some 900 people in central Germany. A third suspect fled through a bathroom window, but was caught about 300 yards away, authorities said.
The suspects were brought before a judge in closed-door sessions Wednesday at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, and were ordered held pending trial.
Prosecutors said the three—whom they identified only as Fritz Martin G., 28, Adem Y., 28, and Daniel Martin S., 21—had first come to the attention of law enforcement when one or more of them carried out surveillance of U.S. military facilities in Hanau, near Frankfurt, in late 2006.
Over the course of the next six months, authorities observed them gathering a dozen containers of 35 percent hydrogen peroxide solution, which officials said can easily be combined with other material to make explosives.
Police decided to move in when the suspects began moving some of the containers and acquiring other equipment used to make bombs.
(AP)
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Greetings:
noted from the article…
Prosecutors said the three had undergone training at camps in Pakistan run by the Islamic Jihad Union,
Looks like we might have do something about Pakistan, regardless of our relationship with its leader. Invading Iran might have to wait or can the US attack Iran and Pakistan?
I am wondering if these ’splinter’ cells are merely straw men being used to hide other activities. The activities of these groups seem so pathetic (though potentially deadly). It’s like they have a one track mind (blow something up). Maybe their lack of imagination (and the fighting spirit of the American soldier) will save us.
Unless Al Queda is using these groups to cover for major operations they are planning. Knowing whether Al Queda are smarter than this or about as smart as this would be important.
Tim Roesch
September 6th, 2007 at 3:48 amCommand Private Major
tent pegs for sale or loan
“The activities of these groups seem so pathetic (though potentially deadly). It’s like they have a one track mind (blow something up). Maybe their lack of imagination”
I agree, I can’t prevent myself of reminding the Bader-Gang from the early eighties, kind of idle nihilists who were fighting the ourgeois capitalist system
September 6th, 2007 at 4:36 amThe problem with attacking Pakistan as bareback hussein obama and the highbrow tent peg salesman would do, is that the government is an ally of us in the war.
Tehran’s government is actively sponsoring attacks against the US and it’s allies.
Pakistan’s government is an ally, but not all in that government are as loyal to the government as they are loyal to religious and tribal ideologies….didn’t we already go over this when the muslim raised democratic presidential candidate talked tuff out if his ass?
September 6th, 2007 at 4:42 amone thing for sure..no one can let their guard down for one second..this kinda intel shit would make some good movies, unlike the anit war and anti American bullshit
September 6th, 2007 at 4:50 amIf they are still in Germany, the Germans will find them. German cops are pretty good…And they don’t screw around.
September 6th, 2007 at 5:41 amThose of you who spent alot of time in Germany, have probably seen how the German cops assault an objective, and make an arrest on a dangerous criminal. It’s a thing of beauty… Einen Bier bitta…..
Thank you, Germany.
September 6th, 2007 at 6:04 amach Ja, Wir haben denen schon im 1972 OG gesehen : eine grosse Katastrophe !
September 6th, 2007 at 6:19 amFrau Frenchy:
Was die Hölle du sprechende Frau Frenchy sind?
September 6th, 2007 at 6:49 amYesterday was the 35 year mark for Munich Olympics… interesting timing… and France the Retour, the Germans constructed GSG-9 after the 72′ tragedy, so they did learn, a little… i hope…
one thing is for certain, this better not jack-up Oktoberfest.
September 6th, 2007 at 8:05 ama 6 mo. investigation… hope the German authorities are able to put some added pressure on all the (not surprisingly young) suspects so they’ll sing. lets find the pakistan training grounds where these jihad-idiots came from and simple take them out. nice & clean.
God Bless America… Germany too. -guten tag
September 6th, 2007 at 8:34 am“a 6 mo. investigation… hope the German authorities are able to put some added pressure on all the (not surprisingly young) suspects so they’ll sing. lets find the pakistan training grounds where these jihad-idiots came from and simple take them out. nice & clean.”
Amen.
“Looks like we might have do something about Pakistan, regardless of our relationship with its leader. Invading Iran might have to wait or can the US attack Iran and Pakistan”
Isn’t that the same thinking that everyone criticized Obama for?
September 6th, 2007 at 9:54 amDan, I speak german too, not so well as my “broken english” though because of a lesser practice
in a normal cursus here, we learn 2 or 3 foreign languages ; I stayed in Germany for a year
EZrider, yeah, your right about the creation of special intervention forces in case of terrorism actions, or plane hijackings
cf Alger hijacking
September 6th, 2007 at 10:51 amthe real Alger hijacking
September 6th, 2007 at 11:15 amGreetings:
Pakistan is an ally and I am not suggesting we attack them but we might if our ONE ally in Pakistan is off’ed in a coup and we have to deal with a completely different Pakistan.
Tim Roesch
September 6th, 2007 at 11:40 amCommand Private Major
tent pegs for sale
I`m afraid that two guys of us convert to islam and disposed to attack our country.
In my World:
Deport them to Gitmo and bash the keys away!!!
I drink some
and say hooray to our Federal Police and intelligence.
Nice
September 6th, 2007 at 1:15 pmWhile I don’t necessarily agree with “France the retour’s” views, what is the point of highlighting his “broken english”? Is it unclear that he didn’t grow up speaking English? Why would you think he would have fluent English?
September 6th, 2007 at 2:37 pmFor everyone’s info Frenchy is a she not a he.
Frenchy:
Your German is pretty good. Your French is better. But you still didn’t answer my question.
September 6th, 2007 at 3:30 pmDan, if I correctly understand, you said :
what’s the hell how can a french madam speaks german ?
(or your german is not clear)
otherwise you could have written
“von welchen Hölle die sprechende franzözinnen frauen sind ?”
I can’t guaranty the declinaisons though
well I am from a deep-hole french country, but I travelled, and I like the contact with different people, this place is an experimental place for me
did I answered to your inquire ?
September 6th, 2007 at 3:57 pmFrenchy:
nein, you did not…
I asked you what the hell were you talking about when you said: ach Ja, Wir haben denen schon im 1972 OG gesehen : eine grosse Katastrophe !
September 6th, 2007 at 4:27 pmDan, your fellow IZrider did understand though, I was saying that the german police acted so cleverly during the olympic games in 1972 that a big catastrophe ensued, the israeli sportmen were killed !
after that, a decision was taken, to create a special force to deal with such barbarism ; I think the decision was taken about the same time in France too, cause of the plane hijackings and terrorism attacks from a certain “Carlos”
September 7th, 2007 at 1:48 amWe had not any Special Police Forces during the OG 1972. That was the reason to build the GSG9. The best example was the Lufthansa plane “Landshut” in Mogadischu 1977.
Please don’t try to write German, it’s like that i try to write in English
September 7th, 2007 at 1:02 pm:lol:, I know, I was bad at school in german, the “Declinieren” were awful, fortunately, I could make a revenge with the oral in Germany
eheh your english is as understable as mine
September 7th, 2007 at 1:44 pm