Germany arrests Lebanese student over attempted train bombings

BERLIN -- An arrest in the German attempted train bombing plot.

German authorities said Saturday they arrested a 21-year-old Lebanese student suspected of helping plant the two bombs last month.

The suspect, identified only as Youssef Mohamad, was arrested at the main train station in the Baltic Sea port city of Kiel, where he lived and studied. Chief prosecutor Monika Harms said he had come to Germany in September 2004 and apparently planned to flee the country. He studied mechatronics -- a combination of mechanics, information technology and electronics.

The bombs made with gas canisters were found July 31 inside suitcases left on board trains in Dortmund and Koblenz.

They apparently were supposed to explode simultaneously, 10 minutes before the trains arrived at those stations.

A torn scrap of paper with Arabic script listing groceries and phone numbers in Lebanon was found in clothing surrounding one gas canister. Investigators have said it was possible the would-be attackers might have wanted to send a message related to fighting in the Middle East.