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CNN Saturday Morning News

German police: Thwarted 9/11-anniversary attack

Aired September 07, 2002 - 07:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: German police have arrested a couple, seized hundreds of pounds of explosives, and stopped a possible plot to attack a U.S. military base. Police think the attack was planned for Wednesday's anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Joining us now with more from Heidelberg, we have CNN's Chris Burns. Chris?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Charles, we're right outside the Army PX, where the German authorities believe that couple could have set off that explosion.

A typical Saturday here, where people are going in, being checked there at the gate as they go in to shop. We've been speaking with a number of them, seeing how they feel about it.

So far no panic, but there is a lot of increased security, German authorities say. They won't be specific about it, but they do say there is more security as a result of this.

This couple lived just outside of Heidelberg in a small town outside, where in their second-floor apartment, German authorities found some 280 pounds of chemical, chemicals that could have been used for explosives, and five pipe bombs.

Now, how did they get to that? German authorities say that they were tipped off from the American side, American authorities had told them about some kind of suspicion some time ago. German authorities say that they have been investigating this, they have been watching that couple, and it was only Thursday that they finally arrested them.

But for -- obviously they had enough evidence, according to German authorities, to arrest them just days before, German authorities say, this attack could have been carried out next week on September 11.

Now, the woman, according to "Spiegel" magazine, worked at that supermarket and had told a friend there not to shop inside here, inside this commissary. So very much a concern for authorities here.

However, as we try to talk to people here, they are trying to say they're concerned, but they try to stay circumspect about it.

Let's see what Burt (ph) had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: You're kind of nervous, because I noticed that they lived near the city where I live, in Waldorf, and...

BURNS: Did you know them at all? Did you hear about them?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I didn't know them. I read it last night on the Internet, administration it was just really amazing to me. And it makes you think, you know, that all around us, you just don't know who might be planning some kind of attack, or who might be a terrorist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: Now, as other people wait to get in, American authorities here, military authorities say that they are being very watchful. They won't be specific about any more security measures, but they are telling their personnel to be extremely watchful, especially during these days leading up to September 11.

Charles?

MOLINEAUX: Yes, Chris, beyond the information developed on these two, was there not an expectation that something like this might be in the works just because of the approach of September 11? Is there any special alert because of that?

BURNS: Well, authorities have been very much on the watch-out, not only here in Europe but obviously also in the United States. The authorities here, German authorities, just days ago, however, had said that they did not see any major operation or attack in the works. However, I guess they were playing their cards very close to their chest, because they had been watching this couple for some time.

Charles?

MOLINEAUX: OK, thank you very much, Chris Burns live in Heidelberg. Good to have you with us.

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