26 January 2006

BRUSSELS — Federal police raided 20 homes in the Brussels region at about 5am on Thursday in an anti-terrorism operation.

The raids took place in various Brussels suburbs, such as Molenbeek, police told news agency Belga.

Ordered by investigating judge Daniel Fransen, the raids were focused on activities around the Belgian Islamic Centre, based in Molenbeek. Raids were conducted at the Islamic centre itself.

Two men were arrested and several computers were seized, news service VRT reported.

Brussels police spokesman Glenn Audenaert said the investigation targeted Muslim extremists, not Muslim terrorists. However, he also said Muslim extremism could be a

fertile breeding ground for Islamic terrorism.

Police opened and investigation into the Belgian Islamic Centre in 2002 amid allegations it incited race hatred and Jihad. The centre's website was especially accused of using inflammatory language.

One of the two people who killed Afghan commandant Ahmad Shah Massoud had visited the centre, the then justice minister, Marc Verwilghen, said at that time.

[Copyright Expatica News 2006]

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