Two held in suspected plot to attack U.S. base in Germany

German police have arrested two people on suspicion of plotting a terrorist strike on a U.S. military base in Heidelberg. Authorities are investigating whether the two are linked to the al Qaeda network, a police spokesman said Friday.

The spokesman said a 24-year old Turkish man and his unidentified girlfriend were arrested in the southern German city and had in their possession "a lot of explosive material" for carrying out a bombing at the base. The U.S. military base in Heidelberg contains both headquarters for Army's European operations and its 5th Corps. Hundreds of military personnel and their families live on the base.

The spokesman characterized the threat posed by the couple as "serious."

An investigation into the couple's motives was continuing and the Army was assisting in it, the official added. An Army spokesman declined to comment on the report.

The Washington Post reported on its Web site Friday afternoon that the female arrested held dual German and American citizenship and was a civilian employee at the base commissary. The woman would have had easy access to the base because of her job, the newspaper reported.

German police were able to make the arrests because of a recently passed law allowing them to crack down on suspected members of terrorist organizations. Previously, only those accused of committing or planning attacks on German soil could be arrested.