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December 15, 2005
France: Suspected Islamists Arrested
News from SBS and AP via Forbes and New Kerala, states that three people have been arrested today in France, in the region of Paris.
The arrests follow on from a series of arrests made on Monday, in which more than twenty people were arrested by the DST (Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire, the domestic intelligence service) in Paris, and also around Oise, north of Paris.
Radio NZ stated on Monday's arrests that the raids had taken place on homes and internet cafes. Most of the detainees were young Moroccan or Tunisian originated men, some with French nationality status. The raids took place at dawn, following surveillance which had lasted several weeks.
Fox News states that there were Algerians among those arrested on Monday , one of whom was 30-year old Ouassini Cherifi. Cherifi, is an Algerian born French national and computer specialist, who was arrested in August 2000 and sentenced in 2002 to five yeas in prison for "association with criminals in relation to a terrorist enterprise". He had been accused of trafficking passports, using theft and fraud to finance terror activities. A random postal check of a parcel sent to a hotel in Aulnay-sous-Bois, where Cherifi had formerly worked, led to his 2000 arrest. It contained forged French passports, states Rick Cross.
Nouvel Observateur's Challenges states that 25 people were arrested on Monday in 5 departments (districts) of the Paris suburbs, and in Oise. Cherifi's forged passports had been intended for the use of a terror cell arrested in Frankfurt in December 2000 while they were preparing a terrorist attack at Strasburg. Fox News states that the passports came from Thailand, and were used by militant Islamists to travel to Pakistan/Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Nouvel Obs hinted at fears of a link between the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which has had several members and followers of convicted bomber Safe Bourada, recently arrested in France, and al-Zarqawi in Iraq.
New Kerala quotes an announcement that Nicolas Sarkozy, the French Interior Minister,said on Wednesday that those arrested on Monday have indirect contact with al-Zarqawi, leader of "al-Qaeda in Iraq". He did not elaborate on details.
Forbes states that the three arrested today have indirect links with al-Zarqawi, according to national police spokesperson, Catherine Casteran. The anti-terror investigators have until tomorrow to decide whether to release the detainees or charge them with terrorism offences.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 15, 2005 7:55 AM
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