"Suspected London Plane Terrorists Have Al Qaeda Connection"

Hit 'em fast and hit 'em hard:

LONDON — Police arrested 40 people in cities throughout Italy in raids on Muslim gathering places in a security crackdown after Britain thwarted an alleged terror plot, the Interior Ministry said Friday, as Pakistani intelligence agents claimed there was an Al Qaeda connection with ties to Afghanistan to the group of suspected terrorists arrested Thursday.

The arrests in Italy were made Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and other cities on Thursday and Friday "as part of an extraordinary operation that followed the British anti-terrorist operation," the ministry said in a statement.

Twenty-eight people were arrested for violating rules on residence permits and 12 were arrested for property crimes, the statement said. The raids were made on "Islamic gathering places, including call centers, Internet points and money transfer" offices, the ministry said[.]

In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the arrests underscored "the very important role that has been played by Pakistan in breaking this international terrorist network." It said there were "indications of Afghanistan-based Al Qaeda connection" in the case, but did not elaborate. [More...]