Germans Thwart Air Terror Attack

Score one for the German authorities. They arrested two men just after they boarded a KLM plane from the Cologne-Bern airport bound for Amsterdam. One of the men was confirmed to be a Somali man aged 23, and a German who was born in Somalia, aged 24.

The two men had been under observation for several months. A search of their apartment had turned up farewell letters in which they declared their readiness to die in a jihad or holy war, the police spokesman said.

In Amsterdam, KLM spokeswoman Ellen van Ginkel confirmed the arrests, but denied that police had stormed the aircraft.

"After the doors had closed and the plane was ready for departure, the German border police re-opened the doors and arrested two men," Van Ginkel said.

"Then, all passengers were let out of the plane and all luggage was also taken out and checked outside," Van Ginkel added.

The plane ultimately left 70 minutes behind schedule and landed safely in Amsterdam at 9:17 am.

Why would the Germans wait until the two men boarded the plane? Perhaps it was to make the case that they had taken concrete steps in furtherance of the conspiracy to commit murder and terrorism - it's easier to prove intent when actions are taken, rather than attempting to claim that the plot was underway but no tangible evidence can be proffered. It's a dangerous way to carry out this kind of surveillance, but it is more likely to result in convictions.

German authorities are also looking for at two other men, though it's not clear whether it's related to this particular set of arrests.

UPDATE:
Islamists have been real busy in Cologne today. Three teens, aged 15-17, were arrested after trying to set a trap on police there as part of their jihad against the West:

The teenagers, born in Germany of Turkish parents, have been in detention since the attack. Wolf said they did not appear to have links to a terrorist organization.

Police said the youths lured a 26-year-old policewoman and her colleague, 38, into an ambush by making an emergency call to police.

When the officers approached one of them who was lying on the ground, the other two came out of hiding and threatened them with pistols.

The youths fled after the officers fired two warning shots, but turned back and shot several times at the police from what later transpired were guns that fired blanks.