One of the detainees in France is the brother of a Guantanamo prisoner - 2002-12-27

The French Interior Minister stated that suspects arrested near Paris over the past two weeks intended to attack Russian buildings in the city, including the Russian embassy. He mentioned that these arrests have prevented such actions. One of the suspects arrested in France is reportedly the brother of a suspected al-Qaeda member who is detained in the U.S. French officials say that one of the four suspected terrorists arrested on Tuesday is the brother of an individual held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay. They believe that Monad Ben Chalali, who leads a group attempting to carry out terrorist acts in France, is the brother of Mourad Ben Chalali, who was arrested in Pakistan a year ago. French authorities announced these arrests on Thursday, stating that these individuals were part of a group, four of whom were detained in La Courneuve, a suburb of Paris. Officials also reported finding bomb-making materials. The Associated Press reports that the Ben Chalali brothers' family has accused the United States of unlawfully detaining Mourad Ben Chalali at Guantanamo. They have requested permission to visit him, but their request has been denied.