14 suspected members of the al-Qaeda detained as 2 day summit starts

Belgian police officers detained 14 suspected members of the al-Qaeda network during raids conducted in Brussels and Liege during the early morning hours on 11 December 2008. Several suspects arrested in the raids had recently travelled to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, where they were believed to have undergone training at terrorist camps. Authorities stated that one of the suspects may have been preparing to launch a suicide attack, the target of which was not known. The arrests occurred as Brussels holds a two-day European leaders' summit beginning on 11 December.