Switzerland: 2 people of Syrian origin held in terror probe

Suspects accused of ‘manufacture, concealment and transport of explosives and toxic gases’

By AFP 12 December 2015, 6:15 pm

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Security forces stand guard at the entrance of the United Nations headquarter in Geneva on December 10, 2015 after Swiss police declared actively searching the city for suspects who may be linked to last month's attacks in Paris. (AFP/Richard Juilliart)

GENEVA, Switzerland — Swiss authorities said Saturday that two people of Syrian origin had been arrested on suspicion of transporting “explosives and toxic gases” as part of a probe into a terror threat.

The two suspects arrested Friday are accused of the “manufacture, concealment and transport of explosives and toxic gases,” the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

They are also under suspicion of violating Swiss law prohibiting “groups like al-Qaeda, Islamic State and similar organizations,” it added.

Several Swiss media reported Friday that two people had been arrested in the Geneva region and that traces of explosives were found in their car, as the western city remained on alert due to an increased jihadist threat.

Geneva’s public prosecutor has announced a news conference for later Saturday.

The Geneva region raised its alert level to three on a five-point scale on Thursday, and armed police were deployed at sensitive locations across the city, which is home to the UN’s European headquarters.

Geneva is almost entirely enclosed by France, a country still reeling from the jihadist attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris last month.