Swiss open probe into case of French nuclear physicist suspected of al-Qaida tie

November 8th, 2009 Swiss open probe linked to French al-Qaida suspectBERN, Switzerland — Switzerland has opened its own investigation into the case of a nuclear physicist France suspects of al-Qaida links, an official said Sunday. The French suspect, who worked at the world's largest atom smasher on the Swiss-French border and at a Swiss technology institute, is unspecified in Switzerland's investigation, but it is the same case as the French one, Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Walburga Bur said.

October 14th, 2009 Report: Brother of physicist denies al-Qaida linkPARIS — The charges against a French physicist detained last week on suspicion of links to al-Qaida are "completely false," his brother said according to a report Tuesday. Halim Hicheur was quoted in a news report posted on science journal Nature's Web site as denying that his brother — whom he identified as Adlene Hicheur — corresponded with members of al-Qaida's North African offshoot, as French judicial officials allege.

October 13th, 2009 LONDON - A leading nuclear physicist associated with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has been charged with terrorism offences by a Paris judge after investigators said that he offered to work with the North African branch of al-Qaeda. According to a report in The Times, Adlene Hicheur, who is of Algerian origin, was arrested last week with his younger brother after intelligence agents intercepted his alleged Internet contacts with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

October 12th, 2009 Preliminary charges filed against French physicistPARIS — A French investigating judge has filed preliminary charges against a physicist at the world's largest atom smasher who is suspected of al-Qaida links, a judicial official said. The 32-year-old Frenchman of Algerian origin, who works on the Large Hadron Collider, is suspected of involvement with Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, a North African group that targets Algerian government forces and sometimes attacks foreigners.

October 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A leading nuclear physicist associated with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has admitted to French investigators that he led a second life as an al-Qa'ida "mole". The French police arrested Adlene Hicheur, a physicist working at CERN, Europe's premier particle physics laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, on charges of terrorism, on October 8, in the town of Vienne.

October 12th, 2009 French physicist questioned as terror suspectPARIS — A French physicist working at the world's largest atom smasher who is suspected of links to al-Qaida appeared Monday before a magistrate who will decide whether to file preliminary charges against him. The 32-year-old Frenchman of Algerian origin, who works on the Large Hadron Collider, is suspected of involvement with Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, a North African group that targets Algerian government forces and sometimes attacks foreigners.

October 11th, 2009 Physicist exchanged e-mails with al-Qaida contactPARIS — A French physicist arrested last week while working at the world's largest atom smasher has acknowledged to investigators that he corresponded over the Internet with a contact in North Africa's al-Qaida branch, a judicial official said Sunday. The Internet exchange vaguely discussed plans for terror attacks, but nothing concrete was planned, the French judicial official said, speaking on condition that his name not be used because the investigation is ongoing.

October 10th, 2009 LONDON - In a surprising turn of events, the French police have arrested a physicist working at CERN, Europe's premier particle physics laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, on charges of terrorism. According to a report in Nature News, the suspect, a French-Algerian, was taken into custody by French police on October 8 in the town of Vienne.

October 9th, 2009 Europe atom lab: physicist arrested on terror linkGENEVA — French police have arrested a nuclear physicist on suspicion that he had links to terrorist organizations in Algeria, the European Organization for Nuclear Research said Friday. The man was one of more than 7,000 scientists working at the organization and has been assigned to analysis projects under contract with an outside institute, said the organization, known as CERN.

October 9th, 2009 French arrest physicist suspected of al-Qaida linkGENEVA — A physicist working at the world's largest atom smasher has been arrested on suspicion of links to al-Qaida, adding to the woes of the $10 billion project that ceased operation a year ago — just days after its celebrated start up. The scientist, arrested in France, is suspected of involvement with Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, a French official said Friday.

October 9th, 2009 Swiss atom lab: physicist arrested on terror linksGENEVA — French police have arrested a nuclear physicist on suspicion that he had links to terrorist organizations in Algeria, the European Organization for Nuclear Research said Friday. The man was one of more than 7,000 scientists working at the organization and has been assigned to analysis projects under contract with an outside institute, said the organization, known as CERN.

August 30th, 2009 Report: French get list of tax suspects from SwissGENEVA — France has received a list of 3,000 French taxpayers with bank accounts in Switzerland as part of a double taxation agreement signed between the two countries last week, according to a report in a French newspaper Sunday. French Budget Minister Eric Woerth was quoted in the weekly Journal du Dimanche as saying the accounts contained some euro3 billion ($4.3 billion), "some of which is very likely linked to tax evasion." Woerth called on the account holders to come forward and bring their tax affairs in order by the end of the year.

August 20th, 2009 Swiss banker, lawyer face US tax charges in probeMIAMI — A Swiss banker and a lawyer are the latest to face U.S. criminal charges in a wide-ranging international tax evasion investigation.

June 24th, 2009 Swiss order more evidence destroyed in nuke probeGENEVA — The Swiss government on Wednesday ordered the quick destruction of about 100 pages of evidence linked to an investigation of three Swiss engineers suspected of smuggling nuclear weapons technology. The Cabinet said the documents were "the most explosive" material in a file of more than 1,000 pages related to the case against the Tinner family, which is suspected of links to the nuclear smuggling network of Abdul Qadeer Khan — the creator of Pakistan's atomic bomb.

April 26th, 2009 Al-Qaida threatens to kill UK hostageCAIRO — Al-Qaida in North Africa said Sunday it would kill a British hostage if London does not release an imprisoned radical preacher. The group said in a statement posted on an Islamist Web site that it will execute a British tourist held by the group since late January if the extremist Muslim preacher Abu Qatada is not freed in 20 days.