Investigation
The suspects had been under observation since the end of 2006, when Fritz Gelowicz had been spotted suspiciously observing a US Air Force base in Hanau. The suspects had rented a vacation house in the remote town of Oberschledorn, where they amassed 700 kg. (1,500 lbs) of hydrogen peroxide, and military-grade detonators from Syria.
A July 20 conversation between two suspects mentioned targeting "a disco filled with American sluts", as well as Ramstein Air Base and the Frankfurt airport.
A phone call from northern Pakistan in late August is purported to have set a September 15 deadline for the group's attacks. The group was aware that they were being watched by police, one member even slashing an unmarked police car's tires while stopped at an intersection.
A routine traffic stop by police not involved in the investigation led to the officers mentioning that the drivers were on a federal watchlist, a comment that federal bugs recorded the suspects overhearing and discussing. This led to an immediate unscheduled raid on their cottage. The men were preparing to move the chemicals by van when they were arrested outside the home on September 4. There was a minor scuffle and one of the men shot a German police officer in the hand before being subdued.
Some had speculated over a possible link between the German arrests and the ones in Denmark only hours earlier. Officials have denied that any such connection exists.
Read more about this topic: 2007 Bomb Plot In Germany