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European terror raids target 20 | |
(about 6 hours later) | |
Twenty suspects across Europe have been targeted in dawn raids directed against an alleged network recruiting suicide bombers for Iraq and Afghanistan. | |
Police apprehended 11 people in Italy while others were held or being sought in France, Portugal and Britain. | |
Investigators suspect the mainly north African detainees were part of a "jihadist" network. | |
Italian police said they had seized poisons, remote explosive ignition devices and guerrilla warfare manuals. | |
Tuesday's raids netted most of those named in 20 European arrest warrants issued by a Milan court. | |
Arrests were made across northern Italy - where investigators believe the alleged plot was based - including at Milan, Bergamo and Reggio Emilia. | |
In the UK, two men were detained in London and Manchester, while others were being held in France and Portugal, officials said. | |
Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato told a Rome news conference the "very important operation has decapitated a jihadist network that operates across Europe ... with the aim of preparing men to send to the Iraqi and Afghan theatres", AFP news agency reported. | |
The suspects, mostly from Tunisia, are also accused of falsifying identity documents and immigration offences. |