KARLSRUHE, Germany - A Lebanese Muslim student accused of membership in a previously unknown terrorist group that narrowly failed to blow up two German passenger trains three weeks ago was remanded in custody on Sunday, a day after his arrest.Police say the two bombs only failed to explode July 31 because of a construction flaw. The devices, concealed in suitcases, could have killed many people as did the Islamist bomb attacks on a Madrid train in 2004 and London trains last year. ‘The threat has never been closer to us than now,’ said German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on German television.
| Perhaps now you guys will wake up a little? |
Timers in the suitcases went off simultaneously as the trains approached the cities of Hamm and Koblenz, north and south of Cologne, but failed to detonate propane gas and petrol in the cases, police say. The prosecutors said Sunday the arrested man had not stayed with his suitcase, but had left the train before it reached Koblenz. According to the prosecutor, the 25-kilo bomb would have unleashed a powerful shockwave, with petrol causing a fireball.
Police said in Kiel on Saturday that he had been taking a college course that combined engineering, information technology and electronics in Kiel since last year. Fellow students in a hostel described him as very religious. The police said it was too early to specify the motive behind the attempted attacks.
| No, no, we wouldn't want to impugn his religious motives now would we? |