Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- The head of safety at a Namibian airport has been arrested on suspicion of placing a piece of luggage containing a "test device" among the baggage of an Air Berlin flight, the German Interior Ministry said Saturday.
The Windhoek International Airport official, who was not identified, "has confessed," the ministry said in a statement. He was arrested by Namibian police Friday evening.
Lt. Gen. Sebastian Ndeitunga, commander of the Namibian police, said the man was identified from closed-circuit television footage. Police believe the man acted alone, Ndeitunga said.
"His actions have tarnished the reputation of Namibia; it has tarnished the reputation of the Namibian security forces," Ndeitunga said at a news conference Saturday.
He declined to identify the suspect, and said any potential motives were not immediately known. He said the suspect will be formally charged Monday.
The device was found Wednesday in a suspicious piece of luggage that was about to be loaded onto the Air Berlin flight from Namibia. It was identified as a product from a U.S. company that is designed to test security.
Namibian police on Friday warned that whoever is responsible for planting the device would be severely dealt with, saying that Namibia was not to be used as an unauthorized testing ground for aviation security.
CNN
