Germany: Almost one in three Germans below the age of 30 believes the US government may have sponsored the September 11th, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, according to a poll published yesterday.
And about 20 per cent of Germans in all age groups hold this view, a survey of 1,000 people conducted for the weekly Die Zeit said.
It also said 68 per cent of all Germans felt the media had not reported the full truth behind the attacks, in which some 3,000 people were killed when hijacked aircraft were crashed into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
After the September 11th attacks, there was an outpouring of sympathy from Germans for the US. Despite misgivings, Germany joined a military campaign against the al-Qaeda network that Washington blamed for the attacks.
But as the US geared up for war against Iraq, relations soured as Chancellor Gerhard Schröder expressed vocal opposition to the plans.
Although the United States took strong offence at Berlin's attitude, Mr Schröder's anti-war stance was popular in Germany and helped him to snatch victory in last September's elections.
Asked whether they believed the US government could have ordered the September 11th attacks itself, 31 per cent of those surveyed under the age of 30 in the poll answered Yes, while 19 per cent overall gave the same answer.
Die Zeit said widespread disbelief about the reasons given by the US for going to war in Iraq and suspicion about media coverage of the conflict had fostered a climate in which conspiracy theories flourished.
"The news is controlled," 17-year old Kenny Donaubaur was quoted as saying. "You could see that in the Iraq war. It doesn't seem to me that you get the full truth."
The United States and Britain, struggling to restore security in Iraq and revive the country's crippled economy, are seeking financial and military support and have turned to Germany, among other states, for help. But given popular opinion in Germany, the authorities have said they need a new UN mandate first. - (Reuters)