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TERRORISM

Man arrested in Geneva suspected of being recruiter for terror groups

The Swiss public prosecutor has confirmed that the man arrested in Geneva last week is being held on suspicion of supporting terror groups, according to news reports.

Man arrested in Geneva suspected of being recruiter for terror groups
File photo: Richard Juilliart/AFP
The man, a Tunisian citizen, was arrested at his home in the Meyrin area of Geneva – near to Cointrin airport – on June 14th in a joint operation between the Swiss federal police and Geneva cantonal police. 
 
A spokesman for the public prosecutor, Anthony Brovarone, told the media the Tunisian man was arrested on suspicion of breaking the Swiss law that bans terror groups Al-Qaida and Islamic State and any activity supporting them. 
 
No further details were given.
 
According to La Tribune de Genève the man is suspected of being a key figure in the recruitment of jihadists on Swiss soil and was sought by Swiss police for at least two years.
 
The man first arrived in Geneva in 2010. He then lived in Paris for several months during 2012 and 2013 before returning with his wife and children to Geneva’s Meyrin district in 2014, said the paper.   
 
It is thought he may have recruited several people in the Geneva area, sending them to fight in Syria and Iraq.
 
He may also have had contact with a Belgian accused of planning a terrorist attack in Belgium, added the paper.
 
The man was known to French and Tunisian intelligence services, it said.
 

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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