Twenty-four still in custody in Paris terror probe

PARIS, Dec 13 (AFP) – Twenty-four men suspected of raising funds for Islamic extremists remained in custody on Tuesday following their arrest in a series of raids in the Paris region, judicial sources said.

French police on Monday arrested a total of 25 people — French, Tunisian and Algerian nationals in their 20s and 30s — in coordinated raids on homes and Internet cafes on the outskirts of the capital.

The detainees were being questioned by anti-terrorist investigators who have four days to either release them or present them before a judge.

Some of those arrested are believed to have carried out armed robberies to raise funds for extremist groups, and others may have been involved in money-laundering through small businesses, officials said.

Separately, two suspected Islamic extremists arrested on Monday in a related anti-terrorist operation in the northern towns of Roubaix and Villeneuve d’Ascq were released without charge.

France stepped up its anti-terrorist alert after the July bombings in London, and government ministers have warned repeatedly that the country is seen as a target by Islamic militants.

Subject: French news