Two terror suspects arrested in Switzerland may be linked to Paris attacks

From the Sydney Morning Herald, Swiss Info  and the Guardian

Geneva: Two people of Syrian origin were arrested in the Geneva region on Friday on suspicion of making, hiding and transporting explosives or toxic gas, Switzerland’s Attorney General said on Saturday.

The two men are being held on suspicion they manufactured, concealed and transported explosives, as well as for violating federal law which bans membership of groups affiliated to Islamic State or al-Qaida. The attorney general’s office had earlier said the suspects were believed to have had toxic gas. It did not give any names or other details about the two people arrested, but said more information would be released later

Geneva’s Le Temps newspaper reported on Thursday that one of the two occupants was a friend of Salah Abdeslam, the man wanted in connection with the Paris attacks on November 13.

On Friday Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga said federal authorities had been tipped off by foreign authorities about a suspected Islamic State cell in the region. The attorney general’s office announced the charges on Saturday following arrests on Friday evening that took place on the road from Thonon to Cologny in canton Geneva. The area has been on high alert since a tip-off from a foreign authority that an Islamic State cell was at large.

Two sources confirmed to Reuters the Central Intelligence Agency had provided a photo of four men to Swiss authorities on Wednesday, saying they could be on Swiss territory.

The photo, published in Swiss newspapers, showed four bearded men seated, with their faces blurred and index fingers raised in the air.