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• Ah yes (Score:1)

  by pdcawley (485) on 2002.02.11 3:13 (#4313) Homepage Journal

  I saw that documentary too. Quite staggering levels of incompetence on the part of the German police. Some of it forgiveable (security of the village for instance; it wasn't until there'd been attacks like this that people realised there was a threat), lots of it not. The behaviour of the press, in running the live feed of the German forces preparing to attack the appartments was utterly irresponsible for instance. As was letting the cameras that close in the first place.
  
  However, there was no way on this planet that Germany was going to ask Mossad (or troops from any foreign power) to take over the operation for them. I dunno why they didn't get their own troops in there as soon as possible though.

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  • Re:Ah yes (Score:1)

    by jand (379)

    Ironically, 5 years later they exactly the reverse situation: a hijacked Lufthansa machine was sitting on the Mogadishu airfield and they had to convince the Somalian government to let GSG9 (and SAS) operators perform the rescue attempt instead of Somalia forces. I believe they actually trained with the Somalians until they admitted that they couldn't pull it off themselves.
    
    I remember watching an interview with the German official (Wischnewski) leading the negotiations with the Somalian president. He pro
  • Re:Ah yes (Score:1)

    by pudge (1)

    I believe the documentary said that German law prohibited the army from taking over, that they had to do it with their police or other domestic security forces. Maybe something like the CIA not being allowed to act inside America's borders? Dunno.
    • Re:Ah yes (Score:1)

      by pdcawley (485)

      Ooh look, we have a sudden group of volunteer police officers with just the right training for this sort of thing. I do believe they've all just resigned their commissions in the German army...