 A tip-off from US intelligence helped to foil the terror bomb plot in Germany, it emerged yesterday. "The first piece of hard evidence on the bomb plot against American military and airbases in Germany was transmitted to the German authorities from American intelligence officials," Rolf Tophoven, director of the German institute for terrorist research and security policy, said.
| Excellent! Just the sort of quiet cooperation we need between friends. Now shut up about it. |
US satellite systems picked up on electronic contact between Pakistan and Germany more than 10 months ago, he said. "From then on, the operation progressed with the clandestine support of the US in the background."
| Did we get a warrant from the FISA court? |
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the US officials gave the Germans internet IP addresses and parts of names. US intelligence officials in Washington said there had been a significant degree of co-operation over this matter, but would not confirm or deny that US intercepts had led investigators to the suspects.
| And don't you dare confirm it one way or the other. |
German police last night continued their hunt for overseas members of the Islamic Jihad Union - a shadowy Sunni group with roots in Uzbekistan and which may be connected to al-Qaida - who were instrumental in the plot, giving orders to the German cell, Mr Tophoven said. A key thread of the investigation, says Spiegel Online, is the search for one or two individuals, possibly based in Pakistan, who issued orders to the suspects.
| As Fred notes, seems like every one of these plots has a Pak connection. |
Local reports said that instead of sending emails, the suspects saved messages in the draft folder of an email account which both parties had access to, a trick also used by al-Qaida planner Khaled Sheikh Mohammed in the run up to 9/11.
| More: loyal reader Besoeker provides this source which has more on the story. |
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