Monday, August 16, 2010

German mosque used by Sept. 11 attackers shut down


BERLIN — German authorities say they have closed a Hamburg mosque used by the Sept. 11 attackers as a meeting place before they moved to the United States.

A statement by Hamburg officials says the Taiba mosque was shut down and its cultural association was banned on Monday.

The prayer house, formerly known as al-Quds mosque, used to be a meeting and recruiting point for some of the Sept. 11 attackers.

Weekly news magazine Focus cites a report by a local intelligence agency branch in saying the mosque has again become the city's "main center of attraction for the jihad scene." It says some members who belonged to the Taiba group and prayed at the mosque have moved on to a radical training camp in Uzbekistan.

Officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.