The interior ministry said the warning -- which included names of the alleged attackers -- came in anonymous letters weeks ago, but a preliminary analysis by German security experts determined it was most probably not a real threat.
"We do not believe this has any sort of a terrorist background of any relevance," a ministry spokesman told a news conference on Monday.
Stern magazine had reported that the American, British and French consulates received unsigned letters warning about attacks, including the use of biological weapons, that could be coming soon from a 50-member al Qaeda group operating in Europe.
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