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TERRORISM

Suspect arrested in Swiss anti-terror investigation

One person was arrested in the canton of Ticino on Wednesday as part of a criminal investigation against two men suspected of violating the law banning terror groups Al Qaida and Islamic State.

Suspect arrested in Swiss anti-terror investigation
File photo: Bas Leenders
In a statement, the federal public prosecutor’s office said over 100 federal and cantonal police officers were involved in Wednesday’s police operation, which formed part of an investigation against a Swiss-Turkish dual national and a Turk suspected of supporting terror groups. They may have helped recruit other people to Isis or related groups, said the prosecutor’s office. 
 
During the course of Wednesday’s operation police carried out various searches in Ticino, resulting in one arrest. 
 
Speaking to news agency ATS, the public prosecutor’s office confirmed that the arrested person was indeed one of the two subjects of the criminal investigation, but did not give further details.
 
An unspecified place of prayer in the Lugano region was also searched, but no one was arrested there.
 
According to ATS Ticino cantonal police are conducting a parallel investigation into the Swiss-Turkish suspect’s boss, the owner of a surveillance firm that had connections to a centre for asylum seekers in Camorino.
 
He was also arrested on Wednesday.
 
Ticino police suspect both men of breaking employment laws and violence against at least one asylum seeker, said ATS.

CRIME

Hoax bomb threats against French airports ‘traced to Swiss email’

Repeated bomb threats against dozens of French airports which led to evacuations and flight cancellations have been 'traced to an email address in Switzerland', according to French authorities.

Hoax bomb threats against French airports 'traced to Swiss email'

More than 70 bomb threats have been made against French airports in the past week, leading to evacuations at dozens of airports and at least 130 flights cancelled.

Most of the alerts were triggered by emails warning of a bomb in the airport – more than 70 such emails have been received by airports around the country such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Paris Beauvais, Marseille and dozens of smaller airports – including Basel-Mulhouse on the Franco-Swiss border. 

On Sunday French Transport Minister Clément Beaune said that “almost all of the threats have been traced to the same email address, situated in Switzerland”.

He added: “Since Wednesday, it is almost always the same email address that is used, located outside the European Union, in Switzerland”.

He called on hosting sites to help the French authorities, saying: “Everyone has a responsibility, including the platforms and social networks, not to support this kind of attack and to cooperate as quickly as possible with the French civil aviation authorities and our justice system.”

In France, the maximum penalty for making a hoax bomb threat is two years in jail and a €30,000 fine.

As well as airport evacuations and flight disruption, French tourist sites have also been hit with bomb hoaxes – the Palace of Versailles has been evacuated seven times in the past week.

It comes in the context of a tense situation in France as the country raised its terror alert to maximum after an apparent Islamist attack on Friday, October 13th in which a teacher was killed and two others wounded.

Security at large events such as the Rugby World Cup matches has been stepped up. 

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