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| Europe |
| Suspected bomb bound for Germany |
| 2010-11-18 |
| AIRPORT authorities in Namibia found a suspected bomb inside a suitcase that was about to be put on a plane bound for Germany. Germany's Federal Crime Office (BKA) said that the suspicious baggage was seized on Wednesday at the international airport in Windhoek, the capital of the southern African country, before it was loaded on to an LTU/Air Berlin flight to Munich. No explosives were found, but a scan had revealed batteries attached by wires to a fuse and a clock. Authorities are still investigating whether the device could have detonated. The plane had eventually been permitted to take off and landed safely in Munich on Thursday. The announcement shed some light on seemingly out-of-the-blue comments by German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, who raised suspicion of a pending attack after speaking of a "new security situation" in the country. "From today, there will be a visible police presence. I thought it should be explained to citizens," Mr De Maiziere announced at a hastily called news conference in Berlin on Wednesday. "There will also be a variety of measures that will not be visible. There is reason for concern, but no reason for hysteria. "According to information from a foreign partner which came to us after the Yemen incident, we suspect a planned attack is due to be put into action at the end of November." Last month authorities discovered two US-bound parcel bombs originating from Yemen, one of which transited through Cologne airport in western Germany. Recent investigations by the county's federal crime office "confirmed the continued efforts of Islamist groups to carry out planned attacks in Germany", Mr De Maiziere said. "There are also concrete indications in this case." |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 "There will also be a variety of measures that will not be visible." Hopefully tagging the bags of muslims and double-checking them before they get on the plane. And banning HP printer cartridges, of course. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-11-18 12:33 |