Germany's federal prosecutor has indicted for attempted murder a Lebanese man who is accused of planting terrorist bombs a year ago on German trains, officials said Wednesday. Police say neither of the bombs exploded because of Both Lebanese Moslem suspects were seen on closed-circuit TV carrying booby-trapped suitcases into trains and were caught within weeks. The trial of the other man has already begun in Lebanon.
The 22-year-old Lebanese is the prime suspect in what was an apparent attempt to explode suitcase time-bombs on two regional trains on July 31, 2006. He and Jihad Hamad, a compatriot now on trial in Lebanon, were filmed at Cologne station with suitcases. The suitcases were left behind seats of trains. Al-Haijib left the train near Bonn as it continued towards the city of Koblenz. The timer and detonator went off, but not the main explosive. The bag was later handed in as lost property.
Had the camping gas and spirit exploded, the bombs would have created a massive fireball which would have badly damaged the trains and likely have caused many deaths, German prosecutors said.
The indictment will charge that al-Haijib and Hamad, who were living in Germany, decided in April 2006 to harm their host country in protest at publication by newspapers of cartoons they believed were insulting to the Prophet Mohammed.
| Capitalized without a moment's hesitation. Nice work DPA. |
| "Put those away! I'll talk!!!" |
| Gah. |