2006 German train bombing plot
Encyclopedia
On July 31, 2006, two people placed two suitcases filled with bombs on regional trains in Germany
. The bombs were supposed to go off near Hamm
and Koblenz
and according to German investigators, would have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. However, due to faulty construction, the bombs did not go off.
German investigators suspected a terrorist organization was behind the plot.
's central train station on August 19th, 2006. There are reports that he was trying to get to Denmark
and that he had Odense
imam Abu Bashar's telephone in his pocket. Bashar denied knowing El Hajdib. On December 9, 2008 El Hajdib was sentenced to life in prison without parole by a German court for attempted murder and the attempt to cause an explosion.
and tried to hide by his family. He turned himself to Lebanese authorities in Beirut
a few days after El Hajdib was arrested. His family lives in Al-Kobbe, Tripoli
. In his youth Jihad went to a Christian school
. Jihad came to Essen
to live by his uncle, study and work. Jihad confessed to depositing the luggage on the trains but said he was unaware it was a bomb. He also said El Hajdib and he had researched on the internet how to prepare attacks which would cause increased suffering. Hamad told Lebanese interrogators that El Hajdib saw the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
as an attack of the Western world on Islam. Further motivation was the killing of Iraq
i Al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
on June 7, 2006 by US forces. Hamad and El Hajdib lived together in Cologne
.
to build. The bombs were made from propane
barbecue canisters to be triggered with gasoline
and makeshift detonators. The detonators went off, but failed to ignite the gas. According to German security services the attacks were originally planned for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, several weeks earlier, but the suspects abandoned the plan when they considered the implications of such an attack.
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The bombs were supposed to go off near Hamm
Hamm
Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway...
and Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
and according to German investigators, would have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. However, due to faulty construction, the bombs did not go off.
German investigators suspected a terrorist organization was behind the plot.
Youssef Mohamad El Hajdib
Aged 21 at the time. El Hajdib was arrested at KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
's central train station on August 19th, 2006. There are reports that he was trying to get to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and that he had Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
imam Abu Bashar's telephone in his pocket. Bashar denied knowing El Hajdib. On December 9, 2008 El Hajdib was sentenced to life in prison without parole by a German court for attempted murder and the attempt to cause an explosion.
Jihad Hamad
Aged 20 at the time. After the failed attack, Hamad fled to LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and tried to hide by his family. He turned himself to Lebanese authorities in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
a few days after El Hajdib was arrested. His family lives in Al-Kobbe, Tripoli
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
. In his youth Jihad went to a Christian school
Christian school
A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization.The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures...
. Jihad came to Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
to live by his uncle, study and work. Jihad confessed to depositing the luggage on the trains but said he was unaware it was a bomb. He also said El Hajdib and he had researched on the internet how to prepare attacks which would cause increased suffering. Hamad told Lebanese interrogators that El Hajdib saw the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
as an attack of the Western world on Islam. Further motivation was the killing of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i Al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
on June 7, 2006 by US forces. Hamad and El Hajdib lived together in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.
Other suspects
- Ayman Hawa, 20 - from Akkar, arrested on August 28th, 2006 by Lebanese authorities.
- Khaled Khair-Eddin el-Hajdib - arrested in Lebanon by authorities
- Khalil al-Boubou - arrested in Lebanon.
- Saddam el-Hajdib - brother of Youssef Mohamad El Hajdib, and a high ranking member of the Fatah Islam group, was suspected of helping plan a serious attack. He was later killed in fighting between Fatah Islam and the Lebanese Armed ForcesLebanese Armed ForcesThe Lebanese Armed Forces or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the Lebanese Army according to its official Website The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) (Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية | Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa al-Lubnāniyya) or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the...
in Lebanon in May, 2007.
Bombs
The plans for the bombs were taken from the internet. The suspects diverged at a few points and it was there that technical mistakes were made. The devices cost about 200-300 EuroEuro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
to build. The bombs were made from propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
barbecue canisters to be triggered with gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and makeshift detonators. The detonators went off, but failed to ignite the gas. According to German security services the attacks were originally planned for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, several weeks earlier, but the suspects abandoned the plan when they considered the implications of such an attack.
Evidence
A search of the suspects' apartment found DNA matching that on the suitcases and receipts for the gas canister and gas. Surveillance cameras caught both suspects carrying wheeled baggage onto the train at CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.