German commandos storm jet, arrest two: police

[inanna]

Source: AFP via Yahoo

BERLIN (AFP) - German commandos stormed a KLM airliner at Cologne-Bonn airport on Friday, arresting two men suspected of wanting to carry out attacks, police said.

The Amsterdam-bound jet was stormed at 6:55 am (0455 GMT), police spokesman Frank Scheulen said.

A 23-year-old Somali and a 24-year-old German citizen of Somali origin were arrested, said Scheulen, spokesman for North Rhine-Westphalia state police.

Media reports said the two men had left notes in their apartments saying they were prepared to die in "holy war" and that they had been under police surveillance for several months.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080926/ts_afp/germanyattackspolice_080926082746

[xchrom]

1. recommend - bushco's plan to keep us all safer isn't working. nt

[slackmaster]

2. Sorry xchrom, I don't see any connection

This looks to me like an example of German security doing its job correctly.

[wvbygod]

4. More on this bust from the NYT (Islamic Jihad Union)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/27/world/europe/27berlin.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

A special unit of German officers arrested the two men at 6:55 a.m. local time and, in a related operation, found apparent suicide notes at their apartment, a police spokesman told German news organizations. The men were said to be a 23-year-old Somali and a 24-year-old German of Somali descent.

A week ago, the German authorities announced that they had arrested two men, a German citizen of Afghan descent and a Turk accused of being linked to a bombing plot last year that shocked Germany because of the scale of explosive chemicals seized and the fact that German converts to Islam were involved.

The Turkish citizen, Huseyin Ozgun, was accused of providing support to the organization. He was said to have been detained by Pakistani authorities on his way to an Islamic Jihad Union camp.

The Tagesspiegel newspaper report on Friday said the men arrested at Cologne-Bonn airport had links to an Islamist in Bonn who, in turn, knew the German and Lebanese men sought by the police. The newspaper said the men arrested on Friday were suspected of heading for an Islamic Jihad Union camp.

----

We might be able to link this to bush if we can convince people that it's his fault
the Islamic Jihad Union wants to harm Germans. Or maybe get him for any support he has
provided to future Mormon Jihad Unions that may be setting up in the US here.

[SidneyCarton]

9. Future Mormon Jihad unions?

What exactly do you mean by that???

As a member of that faith, which has had Government extermination orders filed against it before, and has had armies actually sent to forcibly pacify us, I think we might actually have the best excuse of any faith now extant in this country to mistrust and dislike our government, yet other than being heedless and moronic conservatives, Utah is the state least likely to secede, imho.

[provis99]

10. tell us more about the Mountain Meadows Massacre

after all, Mormons and Danites are just peaceful, law-abiding folks, aren't they?

[SidneyCarton]

13. Gladly, if you are willing to talk about the Haun's Mill Massacre...

And the Missouri Extermination order, and Johnston's Army, and the "Nauvoo Grays" and etc...

What happened to the Fancher party was inexcusable, but it was the actions of a people driven beyond the edge of civilization and threatened with annihilation. It is notable that Mountain Meadows is one incident in the nearly two-century history of the Mormon Church, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of "gentiles" live in the region in which Mormons are the demographic majority, prey tell how often are there pogroms and massacres there?

Find me a single faith, (with the possible exception of the Quakers and UU's) who have no violence in their past. No faith is proud of its black marks, Mormons included, but I find it unlikely that we are about to rise up and wage Jihad against the rest of the US.

[Blue_Tires]

3. GSG-9?

[wvbygod]

5. GSG-9 defined here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSG_9

The GSG 9 der Bundespolizei (originally the German abbreviation of Grenzschutzgruppe 9 or Border Guard Group 9) is the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police and is considered to be among the best of its kind in the world. Many nations have modeled their counter-terrorism units after the GSG 9.

[no limit]

6. Maybe if we had some competent leaders this could have been the story on 9/11

[WriteDown]

7. The Germans don't fool around....

whether it be security or immigration.

[slackmaster]

8. That's where the Israelis learned it

:D

[ohio2007]

12. lol

[yurbud]

11. oh. I thought it was Rumsfeld and Gonzo on vacation. Maybe they'll catch them next.

[reorg]

14. much ado about nothing, apparently

And, as usual a lot of hyperbole, mischaracterizations and rumor-mongering.

Fact: two men, "a 23-year-old Somalian identified as Abdirazak B. and a 24-year old German citizen born in Somalia called Omar D." were arrested at the airport in Cologne by the "state Office for Criminal Investigation (LKA) in North Rhine-Westphalia".

Which would be the regular police force, not some jack-booted storm troops. Security at airports is provided by federal police ("Bundesgrenzschutz"), that's why the arrest was carried out by "federal police officers". However, "'There definitely weren't any special forces deployed,' LKA spokesperson Scheulen said. He added that the two men did not resist their arrest." according to Der Spiegel.

Why were they arrested? According to "Der Tagespiegel" (Berlin), citing unnamed sources, the suspects had been under observation for a while because they had been in contact with someone who is suspected to support a so-called "Islamic Jihad Union", which in turn is suspected to have supported other suspects who were arrested a while ago for having allegedly planned car bomb attacks. (Quite a dubious story as far as I remember).

Another reason for the arrest cited in the media is that hints had allegedly been found in the apartments of the suspects that they may have been planning to participate in some kind of "jihad".

As to the character of these "hints", there seems to be some confusion. Der Spiegel says there were "suicide letters", but do not quote the police on this. A radio reporter in Cologne (WDR), however, says according to the information provided to him, a letter was found, written by a third person, not the suspects, and it just mentioned the word "jihad" and maybe the readiness of the writer to participate in it, but definitely no "suicide letters".

As of yet, not a shred of evidence has been presented that they were up to some kind of violent activity. No weapons were found, no ammunition, or any other "dangerous objects".

Quite possibly, spokespersons admit, that the police may have acted "overly cautious". The prosecutors weren't even sure if the two men should be held in detention. Well, finally they made the request, the judge went along and for now the "suspects" are in prison ...