March 1997: German Government Investigates Hamburg Al-Qaeda Cell

An investigation of al-Qaeda contacts in Hamburg by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s domestic intelligence service, begins at least by this time (Germany refuses to disclose additional details). The investigation is called Operation Zartheit, and it was started by a tip about Mohammed Haydar Zammar from Turkish intelligence (see 1996). [New York Times, 1/18/2003] It is later believed that Zammar, a German of Syrian origin, is a part of the Hamburg al-Qaeda cell. [Los Angeles Times, 1/14/2003] He later claims he recruited Mohamed Atta and others into the cell [Washington Post, 6/19/2002] From 1995-2000, he makes frequent trips to Afghanistan. [New York Times, 1/18/2003; Stern, 8/13/2003] German intelligence is aware that he was personally invited to Afghanistan by bin Laden. [Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Frankfurt), 2/2/2003] It is not clear if or when the investigation ends, but it continues until at least September 1999. [Associated Press, 6/22/2002]