10 people arrested in Europe on suspicion of preparing terrorist attacks

Federal prosecutors in Belgium said Tuesday 10 suspects have been detained in an anti-terror sweep in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

Those targeted in the sweeps were suspected of planning a possible attack in Belgium, the prosecutors said. Others were suspected of involvement in recruiting for an alleged Chechen terror organization, it said in a statement.

The arrests were not linked to the recent reports of possible terrorist attacks in Germany, said Judith Sluiter, a spokeswoman for the Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism, according to The Associated Press.

Germany's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that the Belgian arrests had nothing to do with the current situation in Germany, where security measures have been stepped up because of intelligence suggesting a terror attack may be on the cards.

"These are measures taken by the Belgian authorities, based on evidence suggesting that young Belgians are being recruited for the Islamist separatist fight in Chechnya," Stefan Paris, spokesman for the German Interior Ministry said on Tuesday, Deutsche Welle reports.