German police arrest 3 Iraqis
2004-12-03 15:57
Karlsruhe, Germany - Three suspected Iraqi extremists were arrested in early-morning raids in Germany on Friday "in connection with" a visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, federal prosecutor Kay Nehm said.
Nehm said police had swooped on eight apartments in three cities - Stuttgart and Augsburg in southern Germany and the capital Berlin - belonging to suspected members of the Ansar al-Islam, which has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Iraq.
"The searches were aimed at collecting evidence about the existence, structure and working methods of the organisation as well as to gain clues about specific terrorist activities," Nehm said in a statement.
"Further details about the matter can only be released after the still ongoing searches and their evaluation."
He said the three people detained would receive a hearing on Saturday with an investigating federal magistrate.
Press reports said the group had been plotting an attack against Allawi, who is in Germany as part of a European tour that will also take him to Russia.
Allawi was to hold talks on Friday with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.