This event is reminiscent of the Venlo Incident in 1940 on the eve of the German invasion of neutral Netherlands, when the German SD agents engineered the abduction of two British intelligence officers and killed a Dutch officer. The Germans used the Venlo incident as a false pretext for the invasion of the neutral Netherlands.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venlo_Incident
I knew if I saw a reference to the Venlo Incident it would be on Free Republic. BTTT!!!