Four men linked to al Qaida were jailed today over a foiled plot to attack US targets in Germany that could have caused massive devastation.

Four men accused of a foiled German terror plot were fuelled by hatred and aimed to cause destruction on the scale of September 11, a court heard today.

The German Interior Ministry today said the Islamic Jihad Union militant group has taken responsibility for planning foiled terror bombings in Germany, adding that the US air base at Ramstein was a target as well as US and Uzbek consulates in Germany.