Three Al Qaeda suspects held in Norway

LONDON - Three men, suspected to be Al Qaeda terrorists, have been arrested in Norway for planning “one of the most serious terrorist plots since 9/11″, Sky News reported Thursday.

The men, who were arrested in Oslo after being watched for over a year by Norwegian and US officials, were believed to be planning attacks similar to the one thwarted in the New York subway system last year.

The Norway plan was allegedly organised by the same top-level Al Qaeda leaders who are involved in masterminding attacks worldwide. Prosecutors believe there may be a link to a related plot in Manchester in Britain, the media report said.

The Norwegian Police Security Service has said the three were arrested on suspicion of “preparing terror activities”.

Officials said it was not clear if the men had selected a target for the attacks, but they were attempting to make peroxide bombs - a powerful homemade explosive that prosecutors say were attempted in both New York and Britain.

The officials did not say why Norway was a target, but experts believe the country’s 500 troops in Afghanistan could be a factor.