| German prosecutors said on Thursday they had detained five people who they suspected were planning an attack in Germany to coincide with the start of the U.S.-led war against Iraq. Federal prosecutors said in a statement they were investigating the five unnamed persons on suspicion of forming an "Islamist terrorist association" with the aim of recruiting Arab students and planning bomb attacks in Germany. "There are indications that the suspects possibly would use the beginning of the war in Iraq as an opportunity to carry out an attack," the statement said. It said this had prompted prosecutors to raid six buildings in Berlin, including the Al-Nur mosque and offices of the Islamic Community in Berlin. The prosecutors said the raids aimed to find evidence on links between the group's members and on attack plans, and to thwart a possible strike. Police were questioning the suspects and would then decide whether to present them to a judge. |