German suspects 'acted alone'

The couple shared a flat near Heidelberg

The German authorities have said a US woman and her Turkish boyfriend arrested on suspicion of planning an attack on the 11 September anniversary appear to have been acting on their own.

As far as we now know, we are dealing with an individual who has no known links to a terror network

German Interior Minister Otto Schily

German Interior Minister Otto Schily said investigations were continuing, but there were no indications that the couple was part of a wider terror network.

23-year-old Astrid Eyzaguirre, who has dual US-German nationality, and her German-born Turkish boyfriend, 25-year-old Osman Petmezci, were arrested on Thursday following a tip-off.

After raiding the couple's flat, German police found five pipe bombs, 130kg (290lbs) of explosives, and pictures of Osama Bin Laden.

The authorities suspect the couple intended to mount a bomb attack against military installations and the city of Heidelberg - home to the US Army's European headquarters.

Tip-off

It now appears that a chance remark led German police to the couple's arrest.

Officials said Miss Eyzaguirre had warned her friend to stay away from the US military base supermarket where they both worked in the coming days.

But her colleague went straight to US military police who alerted the German authorities.

German police then raided the flat Miss Eyzaguirre shared with her boyfriend and made the arrest.

High alert

Local officials have described Mr Petmezci, who worked at a chemical factory in nearby Karlsruhe, as a strict Muslim who hates Americans and Jews.

The arrests have sparked intense media interest

They said he appeared to be a follower of Osama Bin Laden, and that his girlfriend had also expressed admiration for the elusive al-Qaeda leader.

However, their neighbours said they were a "normal and friendly" couple.

In addition to the explosive material found at their flat, Islamic literature and a book about building bombs were also discovered, according to Thomas Schaeuble, interior minister for the southwest German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

He said their attack was planned for 11 September, a year on from the terrorist strikes against New York and Washington.

The BBC's Rob Broomby says the German authorities have been on high alert in the run-up to the anniversary.

Germany took on a central role in the investigation into the attacks after it emerged that three of the hijackers, including suspected ringleader Mohammed Atta, lived in the northern German port city of Hamburg.

In August, German prosecutors also announced they had charged another suspect, Mounir al-Motassadek, with belonging to a terrorist group and being an accessory to murder.

It was also reported on Friday that another man arrested by US authorities in late August has admitted to sharing an apartment in Hamburg with Atta eight years ago.