German arrests during Allawi visit
BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Three people have been detained in coordinated overnight raids in Germany during a visit by interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, German authorities say.
The chief federal prosecutor's office said Friday that the would be presented to the investigative judge of the federal court of Karlsruhe.
The incident comes as German authorities conduct a nationwide anti-terror investigation.
Allawi is meeting Friday with German officials and was to hold a press conference with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
The interim Iraqi leader is seeking reconstruction and other help from Germany, which staunchly opposed the war in Iraq.
German authorities are looking into Iraqi citizens in Germany suspected of membership in Ansar al-Islam, a militant group originating in Iraq's Kurdish region in the northern part of the country.
Nine places in Berlin, Stuttgart, and Augsburg were searched on the order of the general prosecutor.
