German raids net alleged plotters

BERLIN, Germany -- Eleven suspected Islamic extremists believed to have been planning attacks have been detained in Germany, authorities have said.

Police seized the suspects during raids at 19 locations across the country, including in Berlin, Munich, Essen, and Duesseldorf.

"The prosecutor's office is investigating a German cell of the Sunni Palestinian 'Al Tawhid' movement as a terrorist organisation," the German prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe said in a statement.

A statement from the German prosecutor's office said they believed the suspects were part of a cell believed to support jihad, or holy war, and although the headquarters of their Al Tawhid movement is based in Great Britain, the suspects appeared to be acting independently.

Among those detained was 36-year-old Yaser H., a Palestinian who lives in Essen in western Germany, and is considered to be a group leader.

Police believe members of the group, who are being questioned, were involved in smuggling fighters from Afghanistan and forging passports and travel documents.

Forgery equipment, computers and disks were seized during the raids, which come almost two weeks after an attack in Tunisia killed 17 people including 11 Germans, although the federal prosecutor's office said there was no connection between the two cases.

Germany's Foreign Ministry has issued a warning to German tourists travelling to Tunisia and said there was an increased security risk after the April 11 blast.

Interior Minister Otto Schily has previously said the explosion outside a synagogue on Djerba island was "a terrorist attack" and not an accident.