French Police Snare Zarqawi-linked Terror Suspects

BAGHDAD, Iraq – French counterterrorism agents on Thursday arrested three people suspected of belonging to a terror group with "indirect links" to Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a police spokeswoman said.

The roundup near Paris came in connection with a similar sweep Monday near the capital and in the northern Oise region which netted 25 suspects, said national police spokeswoman Catherine Casteran.

The three were believed to be part of a terror ring with "indirect links" to al-Zarqawi, she said.

During the overnight sweep, police found a stash of weapons in a garage in the suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, said a police investigator who cannot be identified because his agency does not authorize it.

They found several pounds of explosives, AK-47 and Famas assault rifles, revolvers, ammunition, balaclavas and bulletproof vests, he said.

Investigators believe the weapons were used to carry out armed robberies in France to finance jihad, or holy war, and that some of the funds may have gone to al-Zarqawi's group.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking in parliament on Wednesday, described a web of links between the alleged network in France — which police say included both Islamic militants and common criminals — and other terror cells and groups, including al-Zarqawi's.

The police investigator said one member of the group under investigation was in contact with a middleman who was in contact with al-Zarqawi. The middleman was killed last spring in either Syria or Iraq, he said.

After questioning the group since Monday, investigators now suspect the network was focused on carrying out armed robberies to finance operations. They have found no solid proof to confirm their original suspicion that the group was planning to carry out terror attacks.