Germany’s 9/11 Averted
PJM Groningen: Michael van der Galiën reports on the terror arrests made yesterday in Germany.
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Earlier today, three individuals were arrested in Germany on terrorism related charges. Information came out slowly, but we now know significantly more about the suspects, what they were planning to do and what organization they work for. One of the most frightening aspects about this case is that two of the three suspects are native Germans. The other suspect is not German, but neither is he from the Middle East. In fact, he is from Turkey.
Fritz G., Daniel S. and Adem Y. were reportedly planning to blow up Frankfurt’s international airport, which is Germany’s biggest airport. In addition, the three terrorists planned to hit several American targets in Germany, including the Ramstein Air Base. It should be noted that these attacks were not planned on a small-scale. According to German authorities, the three men wanted to use chemical bombs for the attacks.
German police and American intelligence agencies were closely watching the three suspects since March of this year. It seems that the Islamic Jihad Union created a cell in Germany back in December 2006, whose goal was to commit terrorist attacks and recruit new members for the Al-Qaeda linked terrorist organization. In March, the three suspects truly started preparing for the terrorist attack. They worked on the bombs meant for the attacks in a holiday apartment in Medebach-Oberschledorn, which is in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
When the German police understood - through wiretapping and email surveilance - that the three had no intention to call off the plans and had started building chemical bombs, they acted. Police units forced their way into the vacation home where the three were located and arrested them. One was able to flee, but not for long: A police officer used his gun to detain him. When the police looked at the material found at the sight, they saw that Fritz, Daniel and Adem had collected 730 kilograms of explosive materials. The same type of chemical bombs were used in the London bombings, but they were a lot smaller: only some 3 to 5 kilograms.
While the small bombs used in the Madrid and London attacks caused tremendous damage and many deaths, the plans of those arrested in Germany would have resulted in something more like 9/11. According to German sources, the bomb would have consisted of some 550 kilograms of TNT. For American readers, that’s about 1200 pounds. The chemicals they had in their possession are based on hydrogen peroxide. Although it is, according to experts, fairly difficult to use this substance for a bomb, it is quite effective once successful.
Authorities had been suspicious of the individuals for a long while. Fritz G., for instance, is a member of an extremist group in Ulm: German authorities already knew about this group before 9/11. Of the three, Fritz G. drew the attention of the authorities the most because he was seen driving around the US military base in Hanau a bit too often. This inspired German authorities to take a closer look at his behavior which ultimately led to today’s arrests.
The Islamic Jihad Union is a Pakistan-based terrorist organization. It operates mostly in Afghanistan. Last year, it committed a major attack in the province of Oruzgan where - among others - Dutch forces serve. Authorities suspect that the three went to Pakistan years ago for training in one of the IJU’s training camps. After they left, the three kept in touch with the leader of the IJU by telephone, which was tapped by the German police.
Michael van der Galiën is a Groningen, Netherlands-based American Studies student, and blogs at The Van Der Galiën Gazette.
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5 Comments
Dennis:Do not rejoice just yet. They are looking for 10 more that have been identified as part of the plot. Others may be discovered.
Do thank the German and American Intellegence personnel for doing a good job.
Sep 6, 2007 - 6:09 am ordi:I wonder - how the German People are taking this?
Sep 6, 2007 - 8:11 am ShannonLove:German police and the American Secret Service were closely watching the three suspects since March of this year.
Just a note, in America, the Secret Service is not a catch-all designation for various intelligence agencies but rather the name of a specific civilian agency under the Treasury Department that enforces counterfeiting laws and which provides bodyguards for federal elected officials.
Unless the actual Secret Service agency was involved you might want to edit the sentence to replace “Secret Service” with “American Intelligence Agencies” for the sake of clarity.
Sep 6, 2007 - 8:48 am Morton Doodslag:The title, “Germany’s 9/11 Averted”, is very histrionic.
When the pious Muslims are prevented from hijacking 4 German planes, and flying them into German skyscrapers and strategic German structures thus killing thousands of German civilians, THAT will be “Germany’s 9/11 Averted”.
The Jihadis are far more sinister than the analogy conveys. When the conniving Muslims concentrate on targeting Americans on German soil as in this case, be certain that they thrill the millions of Muslims on European soil, but they also tittle millions of America-hating average German citizenry as well.
Rest assured of this — the prevention of this attack on German soil was as much designed to further the chasm between the America-bashing terror-sympathizing left and the people who would fight to save the West. German leftists and other America-hating Euros will use this as proof that Islam is not at war with them or their socialist boondoggles, but is at war against their shared enemy: the U.S.A.
Both the European non-Muslim America-haters and the European Muslims desire and require America’s humiliation and retreat in order for their respective nightmares of domination to thrive. They both are eager to see the venerable West dismantled or destroyed.
Sep 6, 2007 - 9:11 am Michael van der Galiën:Shannon: thanks for that. You are right, I will not make that mistake again.
Dennis: yes very true. I was thinking about updating the article, but since it’s already mentioned at the frontpage we decided not to update this post.
Ordi: generally quite well I’d say, although not with the same stoic attitude of the Brits. Germans seem to be a bit more worried about it.
Logical, of course, as far as I am concerned. It seems that the biggest danger in Germany - this according to a Minister - does not come from immigrant extremists, but from Germans who converted to Islam.
Sep 6, 2007 - 9:14 am