Suspicious device found at German airport

Suspicious device found at German airport

2010-11-17 23:58:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

HAMBURG, GERMANY (BNO NEWS) -- A suspicious electronic device found at an airport in the northern region of Germany on Wednesday was detonated and destroyed by a bomb-disposal squad, media reports say, the same day that Germany security agencies warned of potential terrorist attacks.

German police arrived at the Hamburg airport after an employee found the suspicious electric device on the edge of a toilet bowl in the women's bathroom. Even though it was uncertain whether the object was dangerous or not, officials decided to destroy the item.

Earlier, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere earlier said that police and other authorities would step up security at airports and railway stations because "there is reason for concern, but not for hysteria."

The minister announced the extra security "until further notice" after a tip-off from an unnamed country said two to four potential terrorists are planning to attack Germany and the UK within weeks.

However, German daily Tagesspiegel identified the source as the U.S. intelligence services.

"Measures will be taken throughout Germany at points that we believe are particularly worth of protection," De Maiziere siad during a news conference in Berlin. He added that Germany's Federal Criminal Office has confirmed that people tied to Islamic militants are plotting to attack Germany.

"The indications are concrete, but it can't be a provocation and it can't push us to completely change our public life," De Maiziere said.

The U.S. told Germany a week ago that the attackers were due to arrive in Germany on November 22, German news agency DPA reported, quoting the Tagesspiegel daily.

According to DPA, the mastermind behind the attack is Mohammed Ilyas Kashmiri, a leading al-Qaeda Pakistani figure from Pakistan, and he and other operatives were to travel via India and the United Arab Emirates.

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