Revelatory data
May 6, 2011
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said Friday that flight passenger data passed on to the United States played a decisive role in the apprehension of three terror suspects last week in the western German cities of Dusseldorf and Bochum.
He told the daily Rheinische Post that "important information from our American counterparts alerted us to the suspicious travel patterns of the individuals in question and led to our successful apprehension."
Extension of anti-terror legislation
Friedrich added that he wanted to extend the legislation, which was passed following the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and is set to expire at the end of this year, but warned against misuse of the data.
"We must make sure that the information we obtain is not gathered in any arbitrary manner, but rather that it is based on the systematic inspection carried out in a legal fashion by the appropriate authorities."
The three men were arrested in late April under the suspicion of terrorism. According to the German federal prosecutor's office, the men had been under police surveillance since December and had received orders from a high-ranking member of al Qaeda to carry out attacks in Germany.
They are alleged to have targeted public transportation facilities in a major German city and having been in search of chemicals for the construction of a bomb.
Author: Gabriel Borrud (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Martin Kuebler