Iraqis arrested for suspected planned attack

The Swiss government has banned the Islamic State organisation Keystone

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that three Iraqi citizens were arrested at the end of March. The men are under suspicion of planning an attack in Europe.

The office confirmed the arrests for the first time on Friday, after weeks of speculative media reports. In addition to allegations of planning an attack, they are alleged to be supporters of the Islamic state (IS).

The Swiss government outlawed the militant Islamic State group at the start of October, banning all activities, propaganda and financial support of the group.

It was information from intelligence services that triggered the criminal investigation into the suspects, but the arrests were not confirmed until now due to ongoing investigations in Switzerland and abroad.

These further enquiries are said to be related to accomplices and networks of the suspected men.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office made a number of requests for legal assistance to other European countries over the past few months. The office also commented that they have been working closely with the US Justice authorities.

The prosecutor’s office said that at the moment they are also exploring 20 other legal cases in the field of “radical jihadism”. Five of these are connected to Syria.