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The Greek police arrested two suspected of contacts with terrorist organization. They are the Lebanese citizen of Palestinian origin Galeb Taleb and another person, members of Fatah al-Islam group, which is considered a branch of the terrorist group Al Qaeda.

The Lebanese was arrested after the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera publication that an Arab terrorist who was in Greece had been preparing an impressive attack on Greek territory or in another European country.

According to the article in the Italian newspaper, Taleb, nicknamed the Foreigner or the Boy had arrived in Athens a few months ago to help members of the organization to arrive in Greece by providing them with money and false documents. He headed several extremist groups based in Germany, France, Bulgaria and several north European countries.

An accomplice of Taleb arrested in Lebanon made revelations on his activities. He said Taleb was very well prepared to carry out terrorist operations and availed serious sources and false documents which he gave to his followers.

According to the Greek police, Taleb was watched closely by the secret and anti-terror services, and civilian police. They were watching all his activities and contacts for several months. After the publication of the article in the Italian edition he was captured because it was possible to leave the country and lose track of him.

Taleb and the other Palestinian with whom they rented an apartment in Athens had applied to be granted the status of political immigrants immediately after their arrival in Greece. The applications had been rejected at first instance and it was expected to be discussed at the second.

The foreigners’ office in Attica detained two men for this reason. The authorities wait for the completion of the procedure concerningt the request for asylum. The police stated that the Palestinian has not committed any criminal offense in Greece, therefore, he was charged only for not having documents.

Since yesterday the competent authorities in the country have been expressing their discontent with the publication in the article and their doubts concerning its sources, because it had turned the issues of a very serious matter upside-down.

The Italian newspaper says that Taleb replaced the Palestinian M. Moussa who was the "representative" of the group Fatah al-Islam in Greece a year ago but he withdrew. According to the Greek police, however, Moussa was detained months ago and was in the foreigners’ office awaiting deportation.

A number of articles in the Greek and Bulgarian press indicate that the two members of the group are accused of placing homemade bombs in a train in Germany in 2006 which was disposed before exploding. Following the start of an operation aiming to find and arrest  potential terrorists in Belgium and the Netherlands at the end of last year Taleb decided to hide in Greece because of the large number of illegal immigrants in the country and the opportunity to cooperate with existing criminal networks.

Western security services are seriously concerned about the fast emergence of the dynamic organization Fatah al-Islam, which is considered to regain its strength. It is comprised of volunteers from the Gulf, Yemenis, Syrians and Palestinians.