Turkish man arrested-9/11 Special Coverage

[-e-]

Associated Press

 

STUTTGART, Germany-German state investigators on Monday rejected suggestions that the seven-week delay between an FBI tip and the arrest of a Turkish man suspected of planning to bomb a U.S. military base amounted to bungling the investigation.

 

The top security official in Baden-Wuerttemberg state, Thomas Schaeuble, acknowledged Monday that German judicial authorities had "difficulties" in contacting a witness, identified only an American woman, who told U.S. security officials that suspect Osman Petmezci, 24, was stockpilling chemicals at home.

 

"The witness was not at the apartment where she was registered as a resident," he said.

 

Schaeuble said the FBI tipped its German counterpart, the Federal Criminal Office, on July 17. The witness, who has since returned to the United States was located and interviewed by a German judge only on Aug. 29.

 

Her account led to the arrest Thursday of Petmezci and his American fiancee Astrid Eyzaguirre, 23, a civilian employee at a base stor at U.S. Army Europe headquarters in Heidelberg who had access to many base facilities.

 

The boss of a chemical factory where Petmezci worked said Monday he did not belive that Petmezic stole chemical at work, as investigators havd suggested.

 

He described Petmezci as living a Western lifestyle, drinking alcohol and eating pork, both of which are forbidden for strict Muslims.

 

German officials say they found bomb-making chemicals and five pipe bombs at the couple's apartment. Prosecutors belive they planned an attack on Sept. 11 on Heidelberg military installations.