PARIS — French police detain three people and seize weapons during raids of a dozen homes and the headquarters of a Muslim association based outside the port city of Dunkirk during an anti-terrorism operation early Tuesday, officials say.
Authorities freeze the funds of the Centre Zahra France, along with those of three other organizations and four men linked to the groups.
Interior Minister Gerard Collomb says the prefecture of the region is in the process of closing the prayer room of Zahra France, headquartered in Grande-Synthe. He says the three detained were taken in for illegal weapons possession.
About 200 police officers search homes and the headquarters of the association.
Some French media reports say that Zahra France is a leading center for Shiite Islam in Europe and is suspected of links to Iranian-backed Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, and fighting in Syria or to the Palestinian Hamas. The information can’t be immediately confirmed.
— AP
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