HAMBURG, Sept 7: A young ethnic Turkish couple nabbed this week planned to bomb a shopping mall for US soldiers in the German city of Heidelberg, but gave themselves away with a warning, according to German media on Saturday.

German Interior Minister Otto Schily said he believed the Muslim couple planned the attack alone.

On Antenne Bayern radio, he said; “According to what I know so far, this was a solo culprit with no obvious link to any terrorist network.” German authorities believed there was an especial risk of freelance attacks being mounted on the September 11 anniversary.

The woman, a 23-year-old with dual US and German nationality, worked in the commissary at the Heidelberg base. The area hosts the US Army headquarters for Europe. A state official said earlier the attack may have been planned for September 11.

The German news magazine Der Spiegel said in a story to hit the streets on Monday that the woman had told a girlfriend that she admired Osama bin Laden.—dpa