Israel Matzav

Germans backing off Bild story

Just last hour, I blogged a story from the German newspaper Bild about how Iran was planning to attack US forces in Germany in the event of an attack on its nuclear facilities. Now, German authorities are backing off that story.

"There is absolutely no indication that any such actions against US facilities have been prepared," a spokesperson for the Federal Prosecutor's Office told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Their lack of suspicion is further evidenced by the fact that no warrant was issued for the arrest of the German involved, although the man's home was searched.

Earlier, German authorities confirmed they were investigating possible plans by Iran to attack United States military forces based within Germany, the Federal Prosecutor's Office announced on Thursday in Karlsruhe. Officials initially suspected that, in the event of a US military action in Iran, Tehran might have plans to retaliate at the key American logistical facilities.

"We have begun an investigation and are conducting operative measures," Prosecutor General Harald Range said on Thursday morning, declining to provide further details. But Jörg Ziercke, the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), stressed that the situation presented no immediate danger.

The law officials' comments came after the mass-circulation daily Bild reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime may be planning to strike US military air bases in Germany to destroy military supplies and disrupt logistics in the event the Americans attack Iran. According to the paper, the Federal Prosecutor's Office is investigating a German businessman on "suspicion of foreign agent activity for the purposes of sabotage." The man allegedly conducted "conspirational contact" with the Iranian Embassy in Berlin. His home was searched by authorities on Nov. 2, the paper added.

Prosecutors are still investigating the man on the belief he may be operating as an agent.

Well, that's real clear, isn't it? There is no immediate danger, but we're not done investigating this guy yet.

Hmmm.

Labels: Germany, Iranian nuclear threat

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:17 PM