10 suspected Islamist terrorists held in Europe

BRUSSELS - An Islamist terrorist cell planning an attack on Belgium was dismantled after 10 people were detained in Antwerp, the Netherlands and Germany, Belgian police announced Tuesday.

In a statement, authorities said that investigations launched in late 2009 had unearthed preparations for a terrorist attack on an unspecified target in Belgium, based on information gleaned from the Ansar al Mujahideen internet forum.

A second strand of enquiry, pursued by anti-terrorism judge Philippe Van Linthout, concerned recruiting and financing activities for the Caucasian Emirate, a radical Islamist separatist outfit in the Russian republic of Chechnya.

The suspects were Belgian, Dutch and Moroccan nationals. At least one of the Moroccan suspects was of a Russian Chechen background. Officials did not, however, say how many suspects were arrested in each of the three countries.

Judge Van Linthout was expected to rule later whether to issue arrest warrants against the suspects. Police said more people have been previously held in the context of the same investigation in Spain, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.