France: release of two men suspected of links with Al-Qaeda

    The younger brother, aged 25, was released late Saturday evening after over 48 hours in custody. No charges were brought against him, according to judicial sources.

    Both brothers were arrested at their home Thursday morning in the department of Isere (central-eastern France), then transferred in the Paris region.

    The elder of two brothers, H. had expressed the desire to commit at least one attack, he was at the stage of desire, envy, "but does not appear" to have committed acts of physical preparation, "according to sources familiar with the matter. He was also connected with internet by members of Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb.

    The terrorism judge, Christophe Teissier, told the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DCRI) a commission "for criminal association in relation with a terrorist enterprise".

    Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb succeeded in 2007 to the GSPC (Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat) in Algeria. This group, which has pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda movement, is particularly active in the Maghreb, Mauritania and Mali.

    As part of another investigation which targeted a suspected jihadist movement in Afghanistan, as Internet exchanges between the older brother and a member of the AQIM had been identified, a judicial source said.

    The investigators had indeed "targeted" the elder brothers H. and were in possession of several of his texts.

    Friday, Cern issued a statement to clarify that the elder brothers H. had "never been in contact with any element that could be used for terrorist purposes".

    "He is a physicist who worked on projects for data analysis in physics at Cern (...), since 2003 under a contract with an external institute" and "none of (his) research has military application potential," according to Cern.
    
Ennaharonline/ M. O.