Karlsruhe, Germany
A German terror cell was plotting “imminent” and “massive” attacks against a U.S. Air Force base in Germany and Frankfurt International Airport, prosecutors said this week. Police arrested three men, two German converts to Islam and a Turkish national, who had trained in Pakistan last year and belonged to the Islamic Jihad Union, an al Qaida–linked group. The three were caught with 12 barrels of liquid explosive—more than the amount used in the 2005 Madrid and London bombings—that they allegedly intended to pack into car bombs. “This was one of the most serious terror attacks ever planned in Germany,” said chief prosecutor Monika Harms. U.S. and German intelligence had been watching the men since 2006, when one was spotted staking out a U.S. base near Frankfurt.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Magazine solutions - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Magazine printables - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Controversial GOP plan to sell millions of federal acres hits major roadblockIN THE SPOTLIGHT Republican Sen. Mike Lee says he'll revisit legislation to sell millions of acres of federally held land to create 'freedom zones' of single family homes
