Germany thwarted an alleged plan to assassinate visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. According to The AP, German police detained three Iraqis suspected to be members of Ansar al-Islam after early-morning raids in three cities, just as Allawi was starting a European visit.
Federal prosecutor Kay Nehm confirmed that those detained were suspected of plotting to kill Allawi, saying that tapped phone conversations "included increasing clues that an attack was being planned."
"The comments led us to believe something was being planned against the Iraqi prime minister," Nehm said, adding that the "particularly hectic" conversations prompted the authorities' swift action.
Allawi arrived in Berlin late Thursday.
