This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/6979295.stm
The article has changed 20 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Three held in German terror raids | Three held in German terror raids |
(20 minutes later) | |
Three men have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks, officials have said. | Three men have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks, officials have said. |
Federal prosecutors said the three were suspected members of "an Islamist terrorist organisation", but gave no further details. | Federal prosecutors said the three were suspected members of "an Islamist terrorist organisation", but gave no further details. |
Media reports said the men were planning attacks against a US military base in Ramstein and Frankfurt airport. | Media reports said the men were planning attacks against a US military base in Ramstein and Frankfurt airport. |
Defence minister Franz Josef Jung confirmed the arrests and said the men had posed "an imminent threat". | Defence minister Franz Josef Jung confirmed the arrests and said the men had posed "an imminent threat". |
"The security services have done a very good job and I can't say anything more at this point," Mr Jung told German television. | "The security services have done a very good job and I can't say anything more at this point," Mr Jung told German television. |
'Major targets' | 'Major targets' |
Reports said that two of the suspects were German while the third was Pakistani. | Reports said that two of the suspects were German while the third was Pakistani. |
Government sources told the AFP news agency that the three had links to Pakistan and had been experimenting with explosives and trying to build car bombs. | Government sources told the AFP news agency that the three had links to Pakistan and had been experimenting with explosives and trying to build car bombs. |
Prosecutors said the arrests took place on Tuesday afternoon. | Prosecutors said the arrests took place on Tuesday afternoon. |
Frankfurt airport is continental Europe's busiest, and the base at Ramstein in western Germany is a major transport hub for US military operations. | Frankfurt airport is continental Europe's busiest, and the base at Ramstein in western Germany is a major transport hub for US military operations. |
Germany, which did not send troops to Iraq, has been largely spared terrorist attacks, but there have been growing concerns that Islamist militants are operating in the country. | Germany, which did not send troops to Iraq, has been largely spared terrorist attacks, but there have been growing concerns that Islamist militants are operating in the country. |
Last summer, two suitcase bombs were planted on commuter trains in several towns but they failed to explode. | Last summer, two suitcase bombs were planted on commuter trains in several towns but they failed to explode. |
On Monday, two people with suspected links to al-Qaeda were arrested in Denmark on suspicion of planning a bomb attack. |