HAHN, West Germany -- Two bomb blasts ripped through a U.S Air Force officers club Sunday less than 24 hours after West Germany's peace movement began its 'hot fall' of protests against American missile deployment in Europe.
Police said no one was injured by the two blasts that shattered windows and damaged walls and a ceiling at the club near Hahn U.S. Air Force base south of Koblenz inthe early hours.
Police said no one claimed responsibility for the attack. A team of West German and U.S. military police experts began an investigation.
'Those responsible talk a lot about peace, but have again used violent means to achieve their ends,' said Defense Minsitry official Peter Kurt Wuerzbach. 'The informed citizen knows that we cannot defend ourselves without America and our allies,'
He said more than 80 terrorist attacks had taken place over the past 18 months, many against U.S. targets.
A police spokesman said a total of five bombs were concealed inside fire extinguishers on the premises but only two exploded. The bombs were thought to have been detonated by timing devices and caused an estimated $80,000 worth of damage, the spokesman said.
Similar attacks on U.S. targets in West Germany over the past year have been carried out by left-wing terrorist groups calling themselves 'Red Cells' or 'Revolutionary Cells.'
In May this year the 'Red Cells' organization claimed responsibility for detonating a bomb in West Berlin that blasted a 3-foot deep crater near a military review stand only hours before thousands of visitors were scheduled to attend an allied military parade in the city.
Sunday's blast came less than 24 hours after the West German peace movement began a 'hot fall' of protest actions against the planned deployment of U.S. cruise and Pershing-2 missiles in Europe that government officials have warned may be undermined by terrorist groups.
Interior Ministry official, Carl-Dieter Spranger said recently that according to ministry information the 'Revolutionary Cells' group threatened widespread violence to coincide with the fall demonstrations.
The 'Red Cells' group claimed responsibility for 38 terrorist attacks last year, some of which were carried out against U.S. military and civilian targets.
