Germany Fears Bus Hijackings Could Fuel More Muslim Unrest

Germany rejected the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, but that hasn’t stopped two bus hijackers from claiming they acted to protest a war they see as a Western assault on Islam.

Police said Monday there is no evidence linking the suspects, who allegedly seized public buses and took hostages, to terrorist organizations like Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network.

A 27-year-old Lebanese man who hijacked a Berlin bus late Sunday demanded that Israel withdraw from Palestinian territories, and a 17-year-old boy born in Lebanon -- but now a German citizen -- sought the release of four jailed Sept. 11 terrorist suspects when he seized a Bremen bus Friday.

No one was injured in either incident, nor were there casualties in an April 11 bus hijacking by a young man believed to be fleeing a botched bank robbery in Berlin.

Social analysts warn that the media glare could be inspiring copycat crimes among disgruntled immigrant youths who comprise a significant segment of Germany’s 2.5 million Muslims.

“These are terrorist wannabes,” criminologist Christian Pfeiffer told journalists after the Bremen incident, in which the youth carried a gun and claimed to be packing explosives and working with nearby accomplices. The suspect left a note at home telling his parents he wanted to die an Islamic martyr.

During a daylong ordeal, the hijacker forced the bus driver and his 15 passengers into a chase across northern Germany before police stormed the vehicle. The suspect was found to be armed with a pistol that had only blanks and a detonating device without charges. Like the other two bus hijackings, the Bremen incident was carried live on German public television.

“It’s very in, with the war going on, to take this course, to create a big drama and fantasize over Sept. 11,” Pfeiffer said, describing the young Bremen suspect as molded by “hero fantasies” and warning there could be others inspired by his fleeting fame.

While the recent incidents appear to have been the work of individuals rather than organized terrorism, they highlight the fertile ground that exists in a country with large immigrant populations concentrated in urban centers.

The bus hijackings also expose the vulnerability to terrorism of populations that depend heavily on public transportation. While Germany is Europe’s automotive capital, most workers and students rely on buses, trams, trains or bicycles instead of cars for their daily commute.

While airports may be significantly more secure because of post-Sept. 11 screening and monitoring measures, it is the ground transportation hubs in densely populated cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen through which most of Germany’s 82 million residents are likely to pass more frequently.

Police and transportation associations are urging better training and psychological preparation for drivers and transport operators, as well as enhanced security at the busy bus and train stations.

“We can’t just leave drivers alone with their fears of hijackings,” said Adolf Gallwitz of the police academy in Villingen-Schwenningen.

The Assn. of German Transport Services called Monday for an investigation into the security provisions for public conveyances, spokesman Friedhelm Bien said.

A Berlin government spokesman, however, said there are limits to how much protection is available. “You cannot have an armed guard sitting on every bus,” Peter Fleischmann said.