| Submit your comments on this article | ||
| Europe | ||
| Rail Security Questioned After Two Bombs Found on Trains | ||
| 2006-08-03 | ||
German politicians questioned security on trains and in stations as authorities continue their investigations after finding two bombs on trains this week. Rail officials said they cannot guarantee complete safety. After two bombs were found Monday in the western German cities of Dortmund and Koblenz and other suspicious pieces of luggage, including bags in Hamburg and Frankfurt, turned out to be harmless, members of Germany conservative Union parties called criticized the security of Germany's trains and in train stations. "What happened in Madrid and London can also occur in Munich or Berlin," Christian Social Union (CSU) parliamentarian Stephan Mayer told the Passauer Neue Presse on Thursday. Mayer added that train stations as well as trains should be subject to complete video surveillance to "increase security and contribute to determent" of criminal acts.
CSU parliamentarian Norbert Geis called on the rail company to cooperate with the interior ministry to set up airport-like checks for train passengers. "We cannot take a chance that a bomb explodes in an ICE," Geis told the paper, referring to Germany's high-speed trains. Social Democratic Party member Dieter Wiefelspütz, however, warned that the situation needed to be carefully considered before any major changes are made to rail security. "We should refrain from falling into a hectic debate after such serious events," he told Reuters on Thursday, adding that scanning all luggage would be unrealistic. "I prefer an objective debate, not premature suggestions." German railway officials meanwhile said that passengers need to be aware that complete protection cannot be offered. They added that Deutsche Bahn has focused on security since the 2001 terror attacks in the United States and gave security training to employees before the 2006 World Cup. "We have between 4.5 million and 4.7 million travelers at 5,400 stops and train stations every day," he said, pointing out that it would be nearly impossible to conduct searches of every passenger's luggage. "You cannot put millions of people and their luggage though a metal detector every day." More important than scanning every bag and person to enter a train station, Wolfgang Bosbach of the Christian Democratic Union said Deutsche Bahn needed to focus on using the most effective technology and employing enough security personnel. "Modern video technology, especially in the train stations, has a preventative effect that does not just help after the fact but can prevent crimes," he told the N24 news channel. "In addition to that we naturally need the presence of security guards." Federal police have increased their patrols of trains and stations and asked train passengers to pay attention to their fellow travelers' luggage to make it easier for conductors to know which bag belongs to whom, said police spokesman Jürgen Karlisch. Both of the bombs found on regional trains in Germany earlier this week were not discovered until they were opened at two lost and found centers inside the train stations. It remains unclear if the bombs were capable of detonation. In 2003, police in Dresden's main station were late in noticing an unattended bag containing a bomb that failed to explode due to an error in construction. Prosecutors meanwhile have begun looking for witnesses among train passengers and set up a hotline for tips from the public. "We are investigating in all directions," said Ullrich Schultheis of the federal prosecutor's office. | ||
| Posted by:lotp |
| #4 But why would anyone want to bother the Germans? They are not in Iraq. they don't support Israel. They don't kowtow and genuflect as much as the French, but then, who does? I think Karl Rove is behind it! |
| Posted by: Bobby 2006-08-03 18:01 |
| #3 ICE = Intercity Express. Big trains that go really fast, would cause a lot of death and destruction if one were to go boom. Checking the passengers is a nice idea, but I don't recall the railyards being at all guarded a decade ago when the government had more money lying about. Also, I think one can rent storage lockers if one doesn't want to carry suitcases and such about the city; but I don't recall (it's been a decade since last I was there) whether they are just lined along the walls like gym lockers, or if there is an attendant involved. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-08-03 18:01 |
| #2 I believe a couple of explosions and attendant loss of life on the German home soil would do for them what Kimmie's Dingdong did for Japan. I certainly don't want to see German casualties, but it may take this to shock them back to reality. |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-08-03 17:40 |
| #1 They're not dry runs if the bombs were real. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-08-03 15:26 |