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| Europe |
| German 'bomb blast' injures many |
| 2004-06-09 |
| At least 17 people have been hurt in an suspected bomb blast in a commercial district of the German city of Cologne. Police said thousands of nails were found at the scene of the blast, in which one person was critically injured and four people seriously wounded. The explosion occurred in or outside a three-storey building housing both flats and shops in Muelheim district. "We are assuming it was an attack," a police spokesman told Reuters news agency, adding no warning was given. The blast hit the building - on a busy shopping street in the mainly Turkish district of Muelheim - at about 1600 local time. Police said the explosion damaged several shops on the street and glass littered the ground within a 50m radius. The shops closest to the blast were reportedly a pizzeria and hairdressers' salon. The wounded are being treated in hospital. They include one person critically wounded, and four people described as seriously wounded. Police have sealed off the area around the blast site and are reportedly sweeping the area for suspects. They say they have no clues to the identity or motive of the suspected attackers, but have not ruled out a terrorist attack. |
| Posted by:Lux |
| #18 True German Ally, My opinion, which is shared by many Americans, views Germany, France and Russia as the three nations most deeply involved in various Iraqi petroleum & backdoor arms deals with Saddam, thus no assistance was forth coming from any of the three concerning the much needed removal of the Ba'athist regimé, since they did not want to undo exposure for their ongoing 'deals'. What you state related to German troops combating terrorists in Afghanistan is correct. In the Taliban case the overwhelming majority of civilized states stepped to up to the plate and played ball as true allies. On your other comment "You can't appease terrorists". Look no further than Saudi Arabia for incredible proof of not only appeasement, but fostering and funding via Arabian OPEC oil sales off the West. Such hypocrites! Does the appeasement work? No! Recall England's PM Chamberlain and Hitler concerning pan-Euro-geostrategic issues of the Rhineland and Czechoslovakia. Back to the Saudis; The corrupt House of Saud will fall like a deck of cards unless Washington stands guard at every crude oil well, depot & interconnecting pipelines to the Gulf. Such a mammoth security endeavour must not be placed on the shoulders non-Saudis, since the ruling Arabians created the malignant mess they currently find themselves stuck in, they, and they alone, must resolve it or sink in the sea of Saudi crude. In terms of Spain, the many voters, not all, will wish Mr. Aznar was still at the helm when the Islamists strike again not only on the issue of Islamic terrorism, but the ill economic effects of state socialism soon to be felt by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's leftist government. Babies are not born terrorists, but with the likes of terrorist gangs as Hamas, Hizballah and Iran's terrorist promoting Shi'ite dictatorship, they make sure before the age of two the jihadic indoctrination has already begun. Ally, now is not a time of disunity among those of us which clearly discern the grave dangers which lie ahead. We can win this war against the barbaric enemy if united. |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-06-09 10:42:19 PM |
| #17 You just gotta love German late night news. First is: German shop closing laws. Hmmm, well it's kinda related, right? Could've been a story about a sudden drop in retail sales... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2004-06-09 6:57:48 PM |
| #16 Scooter, nobody is born terrorist, and I bet she really was a nice girl then. Probably Bin Laden was a nice boy, too, who knows. Mark, even if this was a AQ attack (I doubt it), the answer is no. German troops in Afghanistan are hardly a sign of appeasement to AQ. And consider this: When the Madrid attack happened Spain was still ruled by Aznar. You can't have it both ways. You can't appease terrorists. There is only total submission or death. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-06-09 6:06:52 PM |
| #15 Is Berlin about to pay a heavy price for blatant appeasement of Islamic fanaticism? |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-06-09 5:47:09 PM |
| #14 TGA, ah German irony - I get it now! Ha ha. My Mom was also born 1940, they lived in Pittsburg (Pennsylvania). I'm not good with dates, but 1958 sounds about right. Mom says Gudrun was smart and friendly, and (of course) the whole family was horrified when they eventually learned what became of her! |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2004-06-09 5:46:34 PM |
| #13 TGA - I got it |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-06-09 5:45:28 PM |
| #12 Scooter - Knowing what I do of the adult Gudrun, your mom is lucky to be alive. Yeah, she seemed completely normal, except for killing people and robbing banks. Also, I don't care who killed Baader & Meinhof, as long as they're dead. I felt one of their bombs, when they blew V Corp headquarters in Frankfurt. Nice people. But I'm willing to buy the smuggled weapons story, because supposedly Baader killed himself to "further the cause." Sounds like their twisted thinking, to use the term "thinking" loosely. Too bad we can't get today's terrorist leaders to think along the same lines. :-) |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-06-09 5:34:09 PM |
| #11 I think I give up for today... nobody understands German irony it seems. But interesting story. When was that? Gudrun spent a year in Pennsylvania aged 18 (born 1940). "Her father, Helmut Ensslin, was a pastor of the Evangelical Church in Germany, also known as EKD. Gudrun was a stereotypical good girl, who did well at school and enjoyed reading the Bible." |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-06-09 4:42:52 PM |
| #10 TGA, some don't buy the "smuggled weapons" story, and feel the Baader-Meinhof members were murdered by guards. Coincidentally, my Mom's family hosted a foreign exchange student from Germany back in the early 50's - a young girl named Gudrun Ensslin! Yes, my Mom was friends with a future terrorist when she was young, although Mom says the young Gudrun was very nice, and seemed completely normal... (but aren't they all, until they start killing people?) |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2004-06-09 4:33:56 PM |
| #9 Update: It was a bomb (duh!), placed on a bicycle in the street, in front of Turkish stores. Police "doesn't exclude" a fight between rivalling Turkish groups. To avoid being branded as jumping on the bandwagon, Neonazis would probably have announced the blast or left a letter or something. Well, too early to tell. You just gotta love German late night news. First is: German shop closing laws. Hmmm, well it's kinda related, right? |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-06-09 4:33:15 PM |
| #8 Don't worry Barbara (don't live near Cologne btw). I remember Baader-Meinhof very well. Somehow they managed to smuggle guns into the best guarded German prison and committed collective suicide with them. Really. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-06-09 3:11:06 PM |
| #7 TGA - glad to hear from you. Must mean you're OK. (Don't know if you live in Koeln or not) I remember the Baader-Meinhof gang from when I lived in Frankfurt am Main; the modern terrorists are going to make the old guard look like a bunch of pussies by comparison, given half a chance. Stay safe. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-06-09 3:00:59 PM |
| #6 Roger that. Could be a lot of things. Neo-Nazis like nails, too. Since it's a street with many Turkish shops, they would be my first guess. Of course, could be a "settlement of scores" as well. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-06-09 2:06:24 PM |
| #5 At least 17 people have been hurt in an suspected bomb blast in a commercial district of the German city of Cologne. + thousands of nails = bomb "Suspected" bomb blast? The picture with the article looks like a storefront area. Unless somebody dropped a propane tank and a bag of nails in a deepfryer by 'accident', I'm guessing it was a bomb. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-06-09 2:01:58 PM |
| #4 hope TGA's ok! |
| Posted by: B 2004-06-09 1:41:07 PM |
| #3 Police said thousands of nails were found at the scene of the blast nails in a bomb is a Pal suicide bomber MO, is it not? |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-06-09 1:39:51 PM |
| #2 The price of hashish just went up in Koln! |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2004-06-09 1:14:32 PM |
| #1 "Work accident"? |
| Posted by: CRS 2004-06-09 1:11:31 PM |