 THREE Chechen men who sparked a massive police search in the northern German city of Hamburg after being overheard allegedly planning an attack are in custody. One of the men was arrested and the other two had turned themselves in, Hamburg Police chief Reinhard Chedor said. "I do not believe at the moment that there were any real plans for an attack," Mr Chedor told a press conference.
| "But just in case we'll have a full-contact discussion with each of them." |
The men are aged from 21 to 25.
Mr Chedor said he was convinced the trio were the suspects caught on film by a surveillance camera boarding a bus in Hamburg on Wednesday. A witness said by police to be reliable had overheard the men talking about becoming martyrs. One had allegedly said: "Tomorrow we will be heroes for Allah".
More than 1000 police officers mounted an operation to set up road blocks and apartments and other buildings were searched. The city's interior minister, Udo Nagel, admitted the size of the police operation had been dictated by fears of attacks similar to those on three Underground trains and a bus in London that killed 56 people, including the four suicide bombers, last month.
| That's an appropriate fear to have. |
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