In trying to figure out what transformed 28-year old Fritz Gelowicz from an average German teenager into an Islamic radical willing kill thousands, German authorities believe they have found a link in 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta. It appears the two men met at a Bavarian mosque known for its jihadist preaching and support of terror attacks. From the London Times (TimesOnline) reporting from Berlin:

The connection between Gelowicz, 28, who was arrested this week, and Atta seems to date back to 2000 while the suicide pilot was studying in Hamburg and already preparing the 9/11 attack with a group of devout accomplices.

The Egyptian student visited a small mosque in Bavarian Neu-Ulm, which had already gained a reputation for radicalism. Firebrand preachers were passing in and out of the town and it had become a magnet for angry young Muslims.

“Fritz G came to our notice nine years ago when he publicly praised Islamic terror attacks,” said Guenther Beckstein, the Interior Minister of Bavaria.” His name crops up again in relation to a visit to Neu-Ulm by Mohammed Atta, who later went on to be a terror pilot on September 11.” 

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