CNN.com - Al Qaeda suspect held in Germany

Al Qaeda suspect held in Germany

Prosecutors: Suspect has ties to September 11 hijackers

By CNN Berlin Bureau Chief Chris Burns

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BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Germany's federal prosecutor's office announced Saturday it has arrested a German of Moroccan descent on charges that he recruited suicide bombers for Iraq and financially supported the al Qaeda terrorist network.

German police arrested Redouane E.H., 36, on Thursday in the northern German city of Hamburg, according to a statement on the prosecutor's Web site. The suspect is from the nearby town of Kiel, where police searched several homes before his arrest.

He was nabbed after German investigators monitored his online chats.

The suspect was remanded to federal custody Friday after a court appearance in Karlsruhe.

He is accused of having numerous contacts with international terrorists in Syria, Algeria and Iraq. According to the prosecutor's office, he completed an explosives training course in Algeria in November and has ties to the Hamburg al Qaeda cell that included September 11 hijackers Mohamed Atta, Marwan el-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.

The suspect is believed to have served as a go-between for Said Bahaji and his wife, a suspected member of the Hamburg cell who is still at large, the prosecutor's office said.