Germany Attempted to Thwart Shipment of U.K. Bomb

[maddezmom]

Source: wsj

By DAVID CRAWFORD
BERLIN—German authorities attempted to stop the transshipment of suspected package bombs from Yemen to the U.S. late Thursday or early Friday morning but discovered the material had already been forwarded from Cologne Airport to East Midlands Airport in the United Kingdom, a spokesman for the German interior ministry said.

The German police investigative agency, known as the BKA, forwarded the package identification information to their British counterparts, who were then able to quickly seize the suspicious cargo, the spokesman said.

The BKA acted upon a tip from Saudi authorities, a person familiar with the investigation said. The spokesman for the interior ministry said the tip came from a partner service.



Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703708404575586220273080204.html

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Germany tipped off Britain about parcel bomb, minister says
Oct 31, 2010, 14:06 GMT

Berlin - Britain was alerted to a parcel bomb in an airfreight centre by Germany, which itself obtained the tip-off from a 'friendly intelligence service,' German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Sunday.

The air-courier parcel was intercepted at East Midlands Airport, north of London. Another was then found in a freight centre in Dubai.

Speaking in Dresden, de Maiziere said German authorities were tipped off between late Thursday and early Friday that explosives were inside a US-bound parcel. German federal police then discovered the consignment number of the parcel and told Britain.

He did not say who sent the clue, but the newspaper Bild am Sonntag said it came from Saudi Arabia.

more:http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1595401.php/Germany-tipped-off-Britain-about-parcel-bomb-minister-says

seems to be quite the different story here:

Officials: Investigators nearly missed 1 bomb
Source: AP

By MATT APUZZO and GREGORY KATZ Associated Press © 2010 The Associated Press
Oct. 31, 2010, 7:35AM

WASHINGTON — One of the two powerful bombs shipped from Yemen to Chicago-area synagogues nearly slipped past investigators even after they were tipped off, a U.S. official and a British security consultant said Sunday.

The near-miss shows that the suspected al-Qaida bomb was sophisticated enough to escape notice. It also shows how close terrorists came to getting the explosives airborne and bound for the U.S.

Intelligence officials were tipped off to a pair of explosive packages on planes in England and the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

After a six-hour sweep of cargo at the East Midlands airport in central England, Leicestershire police came up empty and removed the security perimeter they had set up, British aviation safety consultant Chris Yates said.

But when officials in Dubai said they had discovered a bomb disguised as a computer printer cartridge, authorities urged the British to look again, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4594774

[Lasher]

1. There are times when it is very good to have friends.

This is one of them.

[armodem08]

2. The question is, how did the Saudis know? n/t.

[maddezmom]

3. I think Saudi Intelligence has guys on the ground there...they've been at war with them longer than

anyone. My question is...did Saudi intelligence contact the UK directly or just throw Germany?