Syrian terror suspects came via Spain
According to the Spanish interior ministry, the two Syrian nationals suspected of terrorism and arrested in Geneva on December 11 had passed through Spain before reaching Switzerland. A raid on the Barcelona apartment of one of the suspects is expected to provide more clues on their activities and intentions.
Based on information released by the Spanish interior ministry on Wednesday, Swiss Sunday papers Le Matin Dimanche and SonntagsZeitung say that one of the Geneva terror suspects was in possession of a Spanish residence permit.
The Swiss have asked the Spanish authorities to authenticate the documents found on the two Syrians at the time of arrest as well as investigate their local network in Spain.
The Barcelona apartment raid was carried out with cooperation from the Swiss authorities and several items were seized for analysis. Footage of the raid was released by the Spanish authorities:
The two men, aged 19 and 24 years, had Syrian passports, and were stopped by Geneva police on the road between Thonon to Cologny.
The attorney general’s initial statement said the men were suspected of making, hiding and transporting explosives or toxic gas.
Criminal proceedings have been opened against the two under a law banning groups such as al-Qaeda and Islamic State. They both deny criminal intent but they have subsequently been handed over to Swiss federal police and are currently held in preventive detention.
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