November 07, 2017 - 3:51 AM
PARIS - The Latest on police raids on suspected extremists in France and Switzerland (all times local):
12:45 p.m.
Swiss prosecutors say a 23-year-old Colombian woman has been arrested in an investigation into banned Islamic extremist groups as part of joint sweeps with authorities in France.
The office of Attorney General Michael Lauber says the arrest follows searches Tuesday of buildings in the French-speaking Vaud and Neuchatel regions of western Switzerland as part of a counterterrorism probe opened in June last year.
The investigation had originally targeted a 27-year-old Swiss man and was more recently extended to include the Colombian woman. Neither suspect was identified by name. Lauber's office said the woman is expected to remain in custody until a court makes a decision.
The Swiss man and several others were arrested in France. A joint investigation team has been created in the case by authorities in the two countries.
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11:20 a.m.
A French security official says several people suspected of preparing a possible attack have been arrested in a counterterrorism operation in the Paris suburbs and in southeastern France.
The official says that the arrests Tuesday were prompted by suspicious activity on social networks that suggested an attack was in the works. The official, who was not authorized to be publicly named discussing security operations, would not provide further details.
The operation is still underway in the Val-de-Marne region just southeast of Paris and in the Alpes-Maritimes region, which includes part of the French Riviera and the Alps.
It comes days after a new counterterrorism law came into effect to replace a state of emergency that had been in place since deadly attacks in Paris two years ago.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017