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Belgium: 11 Detained in Three-Nation Terror Sweep


A suspect is led away during an anti-terror sweep in this image taken from TV in Antwerp, Belgium, 23 Nov 2010
A suspect is led away during an anti-terror sweep in this image taken from TV in Antwerp, Belgium, 23 Nov 2010

Police in three European countries have arrested 11 people suspected of planning a terrorist attack and recruiting jihadists.

Belgian prosecutors said Tuesday the suspects were picked up during a sweep in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

The prosecutors said some of the suspects were using an extremist website, Ansar al- Mujahideen, to discuss plans for an attack. Others are suspected of being recruiters for an alleged Chechen terrorist organization.

The suspects were identified as being of Belgian, Moroccan, Dutch, and Russian nationalities, and most were men in their 20s and 30s.

Dutch prosecutors said three of the men - Dutch nationals aged 25, 26 and 28 - were arrested in Amsterdam. Brussels has requested their extradition to Belgium.

Another suspect, aged 31, was arrested in Aachen, Germany. Seven others were picked up in raids in Belgium's port city of Antwerp.

The sweep follows arrests in Spain, Morocco and Saudi Arabia connected to a year-long investigation into a terror network operating out of Antwerp.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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