ITALY: POLICE IN GERMANY AND ITALY ARREST TWO ISLAMIC MILITANTS SUSPECTED OF HAVING LINKS TO OSAMA BIN LADEN
Record ID:
859250
ITALY: POLICE IN GERMANY AND ITALY ARREST TWO ISLAMIC MILITANTS SUSPECTED OF HAVING LINKS TO OSAMA BIN LADEN
- Title: ITALY: POLICE IN GERMANY AND ITALY ARREST TWO ISLAMIC MILITANTS SUSPECTED OF HAVING LINKS TO OSAMA BIN LADEN
- Date: 12th October 2001
- Summary: SCU PAGE ON INVESTIGATION COMPUTER WEBSITE (2 SHOTS)
- Embargoed: 27th October 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MILAN, ITALY
- City:
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Crime,International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAMRR06I0LLA4JTS4VIYF77P39
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Police in Italy and Germany have arrested two Islamic militants believed to have planned armed attacks with Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.
Police were seeking a third suspect in France and a fourth in an unnamed country in a swoop on a group of North Africans thought to have plotted attacks with bin Laden, Milan's anti-terrorism police, the Digos, told a news conference.
The Italian police said on Wednesday (October 10) that the arrests were part of a three-nation swoop, involving France and Germany as well as Italy, against a group of North Africans believed to have discussed armed attacks with bin Laden over the telephone.
The German prosecutors office said a Libyan was arrested in Munich on an Italian warrant. He was named as Ben Heni Lased.
A man arrested overnight near Milan's main mosque was a Tunisian named as Aquadi Ben Belgacem.
A Tunisian already in jail near Milan for car theft was served with an arrest warrant and will be charged with the others with criminal association for the trafficking of arms, explosives and chemicals.
The suspect sought in France is believed to be Egyptian.
The arrest warrant says Ben Heni Lased, who is thought to be the leader of the group, has had direct contacts with bin Laden, including telephone calls between March and April which were taped by investigators and during which there were references to arms hidden in Afghan caves.
During some of the calls they discussed an imminent attack.
Bruno Megale, a police inspector, explained to the media some points of the investigation and said, "They used to find passports for volunteers to travel to training camps in Afghanistan."
He added, "They were certainly trained in Afghanistan but we have no evidence that they were preparing something specific."
Wednesday's police operation is related to the arrests last April of five Tunisian citizens near Milan.
Those arrested in April were suspected of being connected to a group that planned an attack in the central square at Strasbourg during the Christman holidays last year.
German police arrested two Iraqis, an Algerian and a Frenchman on December 26 in Frankfurt, and a subsequent search of two homes uncovered weapons and explosives. The German operation stymied the planned attack in Strasbourg, Italian officials said in April.
Italy has offered its bases and troops for use in any further action involving the coalition of countries that U.S.
President George W. Bush has put together to respond to the attacks.
But Italian bases and personnel have not been used in air raids this week by the United States and Britain on Afghanistan.
In April, magistrates said the cell near Milan operated as a recruitment centre, seeking volunteers to be trained as Islamic mercenaries. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Video restrictions: parts of this video may require additional clearances. Please see ‘Business Notes’ for more information.