detained in Europe for ties to Islamic extremists

A French source close to the case said eight suspects of Turkish origin were lifted in a suburb of the eastern city of Mulhouse and in the central Rhone region. They were thought to have ties to Al-Qaeda, the source said. Â

The arrests were part of a coordinated swoop with police in Germany and the Netherlands where two other suspects are being held, the source said.

Police were searching the suspects’ homes on Friday.

The source said anti-terrorism units moved in on the group as a "pre-emptive" measure and that none of the suspects had committed attacks. The group "is linked to the Pakistani-Afghan" area, the source added.

The French domestic DST intelligence agency had been investigating the ring for close to a year and the arrests were ordered by anti-terrorism judge Thierry Fragnoli. Â

The Dutch state prosecutor’s office meanwhile said a 48-year-old Turk was arrested early Friday in the southern town of Tilburg at the request of French legal authorities, a statement said.

Prosecutors added that France has formally requested extradition. Â

"The French police and intelligence services have over these past months launched a probe into the funding of a Turkish Islamist group" linked to Metin Kaplan, who was sentenced to life in June 2005 for plotting to overthrow Turkey’s secular system.

The statement said three apartments had been searched during a raid.