VIENNA (AFP) — Austrian authorities detained three suspected Al-Qaeda activists Wednesday in connection with a videotape threat against Austria and Germany for their role in Afghanistan, officials said.
Interior Minister Guenther Platter told a news conference that the two men, aged 20 and 26, and a 21-year-old woman were "in contact with Al-Qaeda networks" but did not form an "operational group" planning violence.
"At no time did they represent a threat against Austria," he said, adding that they were still being questioned.
Public security chief, Erich Buxbaum, said the three, all resident in Vienna, were second-generation Austrian Muslims whose families came from the Arab world.
"It was a conspiratorial network but we have no concrete evidence of planned terrorist attacks in Austria or elsewhere," he said.
Nevertheless, wiretaps carried out before the arrests allegedly revealed discussion on how to handle explosives, he added.
Buxbaum said police forces from unspecified other countries gave help leading to the arrests. Police also said searches were being carried out following the arrests in the Austrian capital.
But while police sought to downplay the threat posed by the detainees, a US monitoring group said at least one of those arrested was a key member of Al-Qaeda's media jihad outfit and was linked to the group that kidnapped BBC correspondent Alan Johnston in Gaza earlier this year.
The SITE Intelligence Group said its research "suggests one of those arrested is likely to be identified as a leader of the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), a virtual group responsible for disseminating Al-Qaeda propaganda but which has increasingly become involved in the operations of terrorist acts."
The man used the alias Gharib al-Diyar and his job was to "translate and distribute Al-Qaeda videos to German speakers through his website, Jabha.info.
"The same individual also worked closely with the group responsible for kidnapping BBC journalist Alan Johnston earlier this year in Gaza, aiding Jeish al-Islam in producing and disseminating video footage of Johnston as well as in negotiating his release," SITE said.
The video to which Austrian officials have linked the arrested individuals was distributed on jihadist forums March 10, 2007 through the Caliphate Voice Channel, a mock-news service created by GIMF which is described by SITE as "one of most prominent jihadist organizations."
Islamist militants threatened to attack Germany and Austria if they do not pull their troops out of Afghanistan in a statement read out on March 11 by a masked man on a website linked to Al-Qaeda.
The warning on the Voice of the Caliphate online television included references to Austrian internal politics which implied some knowledge of the country.
The two governments sought to play down the threat at the time, with Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer saying: "People have no reason to worry."
Austria currently has only four military officers in Afghanistan.
"In standing by the United States... you have provoked those whom you call terrorists to target you," the man on the videotape said in Arabic, with a German translation appearing on the screen as the flags of Germany and Austria appeared in front of a burning background.
"Austria was and still is one of the safest countries in the world... But if Austria comes on to the list of countries targeted by the mujahedeen (holy warriors), the situation will change," it said.
"To Austria we say: your troops in Afghanistan do not represent a real force or a real threat to our brothers, the mujahedeen, but they represent important support for (US President George W.) Bush and his gang," it added.
Addressing the government in Vienna, the statement said: "Don't destroy the security of a whole country just for five soldiers you have sent to Afghanistan."
Austria has four staff officers with the International Security Assistance Force backing the Kabul government, whose mission is to end on December 31.
In March Platter ruled out ending that mission, adding that Austria was not a "primary target for terrorists."
German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble for his part said Berlin "will not be blackmailed" into withdrawing its some 3,000 troops from Afghanistan.
The Voice of the Caliphate was launched in September 2005 by the Iraqi branch of the Al-Qaeda network of the Western world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden.
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