Germans 'foil anniversary attack on American base'

German police have arrested an apparent follower of Osama bin Laden, and his American fiancée, for allegedly planning to bomb US military bases on the anniversary of the 11 September attacks.

The authorities found 130kg (290lb) of chemicals and five pipe bombs with a picture of Mr bin Laden in the couple's flat near Heidelberg, home of the US Army's European headquarters.

The arrests followed a tip-off by the American authorities and German police are investigating whether the couple were part of a wider terrorist network. However, investigators looking into the Hamburg terrorist cell that launched the 11 September attacks are not involved in the new case, suggesting that the couple were acting alone.

German official said the couple were being "uncooperative." Thomas Schäuble, the interior minister for Baden-Wüerttemberg state, said: "We suspect that they intended to mount a bomb attack against military installations and the city of Heidelberg."

The man, 25, a Turk, and his 23-year-old fiancée, who worked at a supermarket on a US base where 16,000 American soldiers and civilians are stationed, had both displayed a hatred for Jews.

American officials in Washington said the woman had dual US and Turkish citizenship. The man worked at a chemical warehouse in nearby Karlsruhe and was said to have a criminal record involving theft and drugs.

In a separate development, the German prosecutor's office said US authorities in New York had arrested a 39-year-old Afghan-born German from Hamburg, where three of the 11 September once lived, also on suspicion of planning anniversary attacks. In Britain, Scotland Yard put the country on alert amid heightened security in the run-up to Wednesday's anniversary.

Meanwhile, American efforts to win international support for military action against Iraq suffered a severe setback yesterday when President Vladimir Putin warned of his "deep doubts" about using force to topple Saddam Hussein.

As Tony Blair prepared to meet President George Bush at Camp David in Maryland today, the Russian President told the Prime Minister that such an attack posed a risk of destabilising the whole of the Middle East and undermining the global coalition against terrorism.

The Russian leader made his concerns known during a phone call. Mr Blair also telephoned the French leader, Jacques Chirac, and met the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, at Downing Street yesterday.