Foiled plot in Germany proof of attack threat: US

UNITED STATES: The United States warned Wednesday that the foiled attack in Germany was proof of the danger terrorists pose, and pledged to continue to fight the threat.

"It's another reminder that terrorists are still out there and willing to do harm to innocent people," said Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman, after Germany said it foiled a potentially massive terrorist attack with the arrest of three Islamic extremists who were targeting airports, bars and discotheques used by Americans.

"And it's a reminder that we need to be vigilant in all of our efforts to find terrorists, deny them resources and hiding places, and prevent attacks. We appreciate the international effort, and the work of the German government in this case," Fratto added.

The men, two Germans and a Turk, had amassed more than 700 kilogrammes (1,500 pounds) of hydrogen peroxide, the same chemical used by suicide bombers in the 2005 attacks on London's transport system which killed 56 people, a German prosecutor said.

Fratto said President George W. Bush "was briefed on the case and will continue to be kept up to date by his advisors."

One of the three had been arrested for spying on a US military base in December but was released soon afterwards, federal police chief Joerg Ziercke said. All three of the men had attended a training camp in Pakistan in 2006.

The State Department had kudos for German authorities.

"Certainly we had very close cooperation with the German government in terms of their understanding of this and in terms of their investigation of it. So I think we have been full partners with them in terms of information sharing, though obviously the credit and the responsibility for having found these individuals and taken action against them, really belong to the Germans," said a spokesman, Tom Casey.

Washington, Thursday, AFP