France Arrests 12 in Antiterrorism Raids

France Arrests 12 in Antiterrorism Raids
By STEVEN ERLANGER
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: October 5, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/world/europe/06france.html?_r=1&hp


PARIS — French police arrested 12 people in two separate raids in southern France on Tuesday that the Interior Ministry said were part of its campaign against terrorism.

France is already on a high state of alert because of threats from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a North African group that is linked to, but operates separately from, Al Qaeda. French officials say that they are also taking seriously American warnings about the possibility of attacks by small armed groups against possible targets in Europe, like tourist attractions and public transportation.

Washington has warned American citizens to be vigilant when traveling in Europe but has not been more specific about threats or locations.

Three of the arrests Tuesday stemmed from the arrest of another man on Saturday near the central train station in Naples, Italy, who was said by the authorities to be carrying materials for a bomb.

Two men in Marseille and one in Bordeaux were arrested by the counterterrorism police after their phone numbers were found in the cellphone of Ryan Hannouni, the man arrested in Naples. Mr. Hannouni, 28, is a French citizen of Algerian origin. France has requested Mr. Hannouni’s extradition. The men were said to be involved with a group offering housing and false identity papers, presumably to foreigners seeking to enter France.

Part of the concern of Western intelligence agencies is that Al Qaeda and its associated groups are using local cells and sympathizers with Western citizenship to aid those seeking to carry out terrorist attacks in Western Europe. On Monday, there were reports that several Germans possibly undergoing weapons training in Pakistan were killed when an American missile strike hit a mosque in the region of North Waziristan.

Another nine people were arrested on Tuesday in Marseille and nearby Avignon on suspicion of involvement in the trafficking of arms and explosives. Searches were continuing for weapons, the police in Marseille said, and have produced at least one Kalashnikov automatic rifle, a pump-action shotgun, two knives and ammunition.

“We have detained people who are close to the Islamist movement,” said a Marseille police official who refused to be identified by name. She said they were accused of contacts with arms dealers, and that the arrests were the result of several months of investigation.

All those arrested are reported to be involved with radical Islamic groups, but there is no indication that the two sets of arrests are linked.

“This very morning, police operations were launched in Marseille and Bordeaux that led notably to three arrests directly linked to the fight against terrorism,” Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux told legislators in the National Assembly. But he did not mention the other nine arrests.

An Interior Ministry spokesman, who would not be identified by name under French rules, confirmed the arrest of 12 people, three in what he called “a first wave this morning,” and nine later in what he called a separate operation.

Last month, French authorities said that they had a tip that a female suicide bomber was preparing to attack the Paris subway. France has been on a higher alert since the kidnapping in Niger last month of seven employees of French companies, including five French citizens. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb took responsibility and warned France against taking military action. The hostages have been moved to Mali.

Scott Sayare contributed reporting from Paris.