Egyptian police have detained an American, 11 Europeans and several others from Arab states for allegedly plotting terrorist attacks in Middle Eastern countries including Iraq, the Interior Ministry said Monday.
The group was part of an "Islamic militant terror" cell that had adopted extremist ideas and were living in Egypt under the guise of studying Arabic and Islamic studies, the ministry said in a statement, cited by the AP. Along with the American, police arrested two Belgians, nine French and several others from Egypt and other Arab countries, including Tunisia and Syria, the statement said.
"Investigations have confirmed that those elements are related to some terrorist organizations abroad," the ministry said. "They were seeking to recruit others, teach them destructive beliefs, urging them for jihad, traveling to Iraq to carry out operations via other countries in the region."
