Germany: Islamic Extremism Behind Shooting of US Airmen

German prosecutors are confirming everyone's worst fears: The fatal shooting of two American airmen near Frankfurt was likely an act of Islamic terrorism.

The two U.S. airmen were killed and another two were seriously wounded Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on a bus that was picking them up from the Frankfurt airport, en route to an American military base that's used as a hub for Iraq and Afghanistan operations. A 21-year-old Albanian from Kosovo was arrested and is expected to appear in court today.

He's been identified as Arid Uka -- reported Wednesday as Arif -- a devout Muslim who worked at the Frankfurt airport and whose parents moved to Germany years ago to give their son a better life. A top German security official told reporters today that Uka has confessed to targeting the U.S. troops and said he's believed to have acted alone.

The German newspaper Der Spiegel previously reported that investigators are poring over "substantial evidence" that the man has links to Islamic fundamentalist groups in Germany and that more attacks could be in the works. The BBC also quoted German media as saying Uka portrayed himself as "engaged in Holy War with infidels," in postings on the Internet. There were rumors he'd been planning a "killing spree," it said.

But Hesse state Interior Minister Boris Rhein told reporters today that the suspect was apparently radicalized only in the past few weeks and was acting alone.

"There is cause to believe that the attack was an Islamist-motivated act," prosecutors said in a statement excerpted by MSNBC. Germany's federal prosecutor has taken over the case from local authorities, as is customary when it comes to "grave crimes" linked to terrorism.

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President Barack Obama said he was "saddened" and "outraged" by the attack, and promised a thorough investigation. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle phoned Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday night, promising a "rapid and comprehensive clarification of the attack," Bloomberg News reported.

One of the wounded U.S. airmen remains in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head, and the other's condition is not life-threatening, The Associated Press quoted a police spokesman as telling German media. None of the victims has been identified publicly.

The suspect's pistol apparently jammed, authorities told Der Spiegel, but otherwise he may have been able to kill even more passengers. He was found with a second magazine full of unused bullets, they said.

Last year, four Islamic militants were convicted in Germany of planning to bomb U.S.-related targets, including Ramstein air base, where the U.S. military bus was heading on Wednesday.