'Bomb' targets German plane

Airport authorities in Namibia found a suspected bomb inside a suitcase about to be put on a plane bound for Germany.

Germany's Federal Crime Office said late last night that the suspicious baggage was seized at the international airport in Windhoek, the capital of the southern African country, before it was loaded on to an LTU/Air Berlin flight to Munich.

A scan had revealed batteries attached by wires to a fuse and a clock.

No explosives were found, but investigations were continuing early today on whether the device could have detonated.

The plane was eventually allowed to take off and landed safely in Munich last night.

German Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere said a foreign tip-off had indicated an al-Qaeda cell was planning an attack on Germany.

He said the country was being targeted by extremist groups as a result of its involvement in Afghanistan.

- Agencies