Suspected bomb found on plane to Germany
German security is stepped up as Namibian police find a suspected bomb in the luggage of an Air Berlin plane bound for Munich, according to authorities.
Germany’s Federal Crime Office (BKA) said it was not clear if the object found during loading of the Airbus yesterday was an ignitable explosive.
Germany received intelligence yesterday which pointed to a planned attack on the country towards the end of this month. Security had been stepped up only hours before the discovery of the device.
Almost 300 passengers and 10 crew members from the plane were evacuated and the luggage and cargo unloaded for security checks following the discovery of a suspicious parcel at the luggage screening point in Namibia.
Investigators are examining the object and detonator to see if it could have exploded.
The German authorities released a statement saying: “A subsequent X-ray (of the luggage) revealed batteries that were attached with wires to a detonator and a ticking clock.
“Only the ongoing forensic investigation will show whether this was a live explosive.”
“There is reason for concern, but no reason for hysteria.” German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on the country’s security alert
A German police statement said: “The passengers on the flight, the luggage and the aircraft itself underwent further controls before take off and arrived safely in Munich overnight.”
Police in Windhoek refused to comment.
Namibia Airports Company said in a statement they “cannot confirm the circumstances around this suspicious parcel” but confirmed the cargo from the Air Berlin flight remains in Namibia pending a police investigation.
Air Berlin said the package was not found on its flight from Windhoek but inside the airport terminal.
Attack warning
The German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere confirmed a foreign tip-off indicated an al-Qaeda cell was planning an attack on German soil towards the end of November. He claimed the country was being actively targeted by extremists because of the Afghanistan war.
He told a news conference: “There is reason for concern, but no reason for hysteria.”
France and Germany have both been marked as potential targets for Islamist extremists, and following the ink cartridge bomb alert on a cargo plane in East Midlands Airport earlier this month, the European nations are on high alert.
Those bombs, which were headed to the US, were sent from Yemen and are believed to be linked to the extremist Anwar al Awlaki, who is in hiding in Yemen. Greek militants are believed to have sent parcel bombs to other targets including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mr de Maiziere said: “The security situation in Germany has become more serious.
“We have concrete indications of a series of attacks planned for the end of November.”