Swiss arrest two Syrians with reports of traces of explosives in car

Geneva authorities had raised the security level in the city to level three

A Swiss police officer observes an area inside the Geneva airport which was closed by Swiss police because of the finding of an abandoned suspicious piece of luggage during a high level of alert. Photograph: EPA/Salvatore Di Nolfi
A Swiss police officer observes an area inside the Geneva airport which was closed by Swiss police because of the finding of an abandoned suspicious piece of luggage during a high level of alert. Photograph: EPA/Salvatore Di Nolfi

Two Syrian nationals were arrested in Geneva yesterday and traces of explosives were found in their car, the local newspaper Tribune de Geneve and Swiss television said.

The newspaper gave no details on the identity of the two men or the circumstances of their arrest. It said it was unclear whether the arrests were linked to a heightened security alert Geneva authorities had declared on Thursday. It remained in effect at level three on a scale of five.

“Two men of Syrian origin were arrested in Geneva on Friday,” Swiss television said. “Traces of explosives were found in their car.”

Geneva officials were not immediately available to comment, but a source close to the case said that two men had been arrested, without giving any details.

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Media has reported that authorities are looking for four men believed to have been in Geneva this week. A van with Belgian plates and two men entered Switzerland from France on Tuesday and went back to France after a few hours, Swiss television said. – (Reuters)