'Horrific Crime' Planned in Germany

A Tunisian suspected of belonging to Al Qaeda was planning to commit a "horrific crime" in Germany, the head of the country's domestic intelligence agency told a court on Tuesday. The German police had information of a "very concrete act, serious things," said Heinz Fromm, without giving further details. Ihsan Garnaoui is accused of entering Germany illegally in January 2003 in a bid to set up a terrorist group to carry out attacks on US and Israeli targets. Federal prosecutors said Garnaoui discussed his plans in a meeting with several other Muslims in Berlin in February 2003. A participant in the meeting, who was arrested several weeks later and questioned by investigators, had spoken to an imam in Leipzig who had told him not to reveal any details of the discussions, according to evidence obtained by tapping telephone conversations.