Two bombs discovered on trains in the German cities of Dortmund and Koblenz last month may have been part of a terrorist plot, police said today.
Federal prosecutors had earlier said they were looking at possible terrorist links after luggage with propane gas was found on trains at stations in both towns, but that they were also examining if it could have been a plot to blackmail the railways.
Police said that early investigations now pointed to a planned simultaneous attack. The bombs were fitted with timers set to go off 10 minutes before the trains arrived in the two cities, but neither device exploded.
The police also said they were looking for two male suspects caught on video cameras getting onto the trains in Cologne.
The news comes a week after Britain said it had foiled a plot to blow up transatlantic aircraft.