August 24, 2007	Friday	Sha’aban 10, 1428

KABUL: Afghan intelligence said on Thursday that it has detained a teenage militant who detonated a bomb which killed three German nationals in the Afghan capital.

Two German police officers and a foreign ministry employee were killed when the remote control device blew up their vehicle on a road in the outskirts of Kabul a week ago.

The Taliban, who use roadside bombings as a weapon of choice, had claimed responsibility for the attack. “I can confirm that we’ve detained a boy (aged) around 15 or 16 years who detonated the bomb,” a spokesman for the Afghan intelligence department said.

The spokesman said the suspect pressed the button to trigger the blast. “He was detained two hours after the explosion.

He’s in our custody and is being questioned,” spokesman Sayeed Ansary said.

It was not immediately clear why the arrest was only now confirmed.

He did not give details about his background, saying that it may harm the ongoing interrogation.

A fourth German was wounded in the attack, Germany’s biggest loss of life in the war-torn country since May. Germany is one of the biggest contributors to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan which is battling a resurgent Taliban insurgency.

Germany was also helping train the war-torn nation’s national police until early last month before the mission was taken over by the European Union.—AFP