Germany in Brief
April 7, 2003
German terror suspect arrested in Saudi Arabia
A German under investigation in connection with last April's attack on a synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, has been arrested in Saudi Arabia, according to the German Foreign Ministry. The suspect, Christian Ganczarski of Duisburg, fled Germany late last year after prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to arrest him in connection with the terrorist attack that killed 21 people, including 14 German tourists. Saudi authorities began investigating Ganczarski after tracing an intercepted phone call from Nizar Naouar, the Tunisian believed to have carried out the attack. German federal prosecutors have also said another terror suspect told them that Ganczarski had access to the innermost circle of the al Qaida terror network and may have been responsible for recruiting members in Germany.
Body identified as missing 9-year-old
Police have confirmed that the body of a girl found in the woods outside Aachen in western Germany by a couple out walking their dog is that of the missing 9-year-old Sonya. The identificaiton ends a search that began when Sonya and her 11-year-old brother, Tom, disappeared on March 30 after they left their house to play outside in Fundort. The town is more than 90 kilometers (nearly 56 miles) from the site where Sonya's body was discovered. Tom's body was found on March 31. Police said both children had been strangled.
Post office demolition experiences bigger bang
A routine demolition of an aging post office in the center of Düsseldorf on Sunday morning caused more devastation than planned when the explosion scattered debris more than 500 meters (1,650 feet) from the original site. Rubble from the collapsed building covered the main street car stop at Graf Adolf Platz. Workers labored until midnight to clear debris. No one was injured.