French police have arrested eight Muslims as part of an investigation into "planned" anti-Russian attacks in France
Published:
12 January 2004 y., Monday
Anti-terrorist officers from the DST domestic security service swooped on the suspects in dawn raids in the Venissieux suburb of Lyon on Tuesday.
Chellali Benchellali, the imam of Venissieux mosque, was detained along with his wife Hafsa and one of their sons, Hafed, as well as up to five others.
"(The arrests) will act as a brake on all these networks and this radical and political Islam which is doing so much harm in our suburbs," Venissieux mayor Andre Gerin, a communist, said. Another of the imam's sons, Mourad Benchellali, was previously arrested by US forces in Afghanistan and is being held at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Around 10 people, mostly of Algerian origin, are already in detention as part of the Chechnya-related investigation launched by French magistrates in December 2002. Among the 10 is another of Chellali Benchellali's sons, Menad.
Šaltinis:
english.aljazeera.net
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have completed their parliamentary elections according to schedule, despite the American prognosis that Central Asia is ripe for revolution
more »
Russian security service paid $10 million for information leading to Maskhadov's killing
more »
When Poland and six other former communist countries entered the European Union last year, many feared they would lose their most talented and skilled denizens to Britain, Ireland and Sweden
more »
When Poland and six other former communist countries entered the EU last year, many feared they would lose their most talented and skilled denizens to Britain, Ireland and Sweden
more »
Russia says Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov was killed today in a gun battle with federal forces in the Chechen village of Tolstoi-Yurt
more »
Macedonian citizens are worried the most about socio-economic problems, such as unemployment, poverty and corruption
more »
Moldova's Communist Party has retained its dominant position after parliamentary elections, according to an independent exit poll released after voting stations closed
more »
The former interior minister was found dead in his home Friday, an apparent suicide
more »
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed a decision by the Turkmen parliament to pass legislation banning child labour and guaranteeing freedom from economic exploitation as a right of children
more »
Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis believes prominent Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky's arrival in Latvia is "a legal, rather than political issue"
more »