We posted an article and two follow-ups late last year about an unsuccessful bombing attempt in Bonn. An unknown perpetrator left a backpack containing an explosive device at the main railway station, but it failed to detonate.

Recent reports indicate a likely connection between the bomb and a previously-known Salafist conspirator. Our German correspondent Tiedar has compiled a summary of the latest news based on German-language media reports:

Bonn bomber — Hints point to well known Salafist

For a long time police were groping in the dark for the perpetrator of the failed Bonn bombing [last December]. Now they have a clue.

It leads to a Salafist who wanted to kill the Pro-NRW chief.

According to Stern , the DNA residues that were found on the explosive device belong to relatives of a German Salafist who is actually in investigative custody because of plans to murder chairmen Markus Beisicht of the right-wing party Pro-NRW. The Federal Prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday that the hints to a connection of both crimes have become more definite.

The DNA residues belong to the woman and the two-year-old son of the 26-year-old German Salafist Marco G, according to Stern.

“The Federal Prosecutor’s office and the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation have been conducting intensive investigations of a possible link between both crimes since the beginning,” said a spokesman for the Federal Prosecutor’s office.

“Meanwhile the hints of a link become more definite.” More information weren’t given by the spokesman because of the ongoing investigations.

According to Stern‘s information, Marco G grown up in Oldenburg [Germany], is currently out of work and lives on German unemployment benefits (Hartz IV). The DNA residues were found on the pipe as well as on the alarm of the time fuse.

See today’s Die Welt for more on this story (in German).