Paris - Agents from the French, German and Dutch anti- terrorism services on Friday arrested 10 Turkish nationals suspected of helping finance a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda. Eight of the suspects were arrested in France by members of French domestic intelligence service DST, French media reported.
The raids by DST agents took place in the eastern city of Mulhouse and in the central Rhone region.
The suspects are accused of trying to raise funds for a terrorist group in Uzbekistan linked to Osama bin Laden's global terrorism network.
French anti-terrorist forces have been investigating the group for one year.
German public broadcaster SWR reported that a 35-year-old Turkish national, who had been sought under a European arrest warrant, was arrested in Weil am Rhein, a German town near the borders with France and Switzerland, within the framework of the French operation.
SWR said the arrested men were linked to the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), a shadowy Uzbek-based organization.
The IJU first came to prominence in Europe with the arrest of a trio of alleged members in Germany in September last year for plotting a car-bomb attack.
Two of the trio arrested last year, Fritz G and Daniel S, were German converts to Islam.
They and Adem Y, a Turkish national, are expected to face charges of buying bomb-making chemicals to attack the huge Ramstein airbase near Frankfurt as well as the US and Uzbek consulates.
In addition, the Dutch public prosecutor's office said that a 48- year-old Turkish national was arrested in the city of Tilburg.
Police also seized computers, files and ammunition during a search of three homes in Tilburg.
