(CNN) -- Three members of a jihadist group who left Hamburg, Germany, last year to train in the tribal areas of Pakistan are now back in Germany and living freely, European and German intelligence officials tell CNN.
Western intelligence agencies suspect that other members of the group still thought to be in the Afghan/Pakistan border area are involved in an al Qaeda plot to attack European countries, a plot that prompted a U.S. State Department advisory Sunday for U.S. citizens traveling in Europe.
German officials stressed that none of those who have returned is suspected of playing a role in the al Qaeda plot. But they believe some are still committed to al Qaeda's goal of global jihad.
Early in 2009, nine men and two women set off from Hamburg for the tribal areas of Pakistan, officials told CNN. The men had been recruited in the city's Taiba mosque, which lead 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta once attended. A European counterterrorism official told CNN that before departing, the group talked about an upcoming trip to Spain to mislead those monitoring their communications.
The group planned to take different routes to Pakistan -- some taking flights connecting through the Gulf states, and some traveling over land through Iran, German investigators told CNN. Once there, they intended to join the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a jihadist group affiliated with al Qaeda. But only eight of the group, including two wives, made it to the Pakistan-Afghan border region, the officials said.
CNN
