Combating terrorism: Searches carried out in Ticino
Bern, 22.02.2017 - Today in Ticino, two police operations were carried out as part of a criminal investigation being conducted by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) and a separate cantonal criminal investigation. Alongside agents from the OAG and Public Prosecutor’s Office in the canton of Ticino, over 100 officers from the Ticino cantonal police and the Federal Office of Police fedpol took part in the operations.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) is conducting criminal proceedings against two men, one with dual Swiss-Turkish citizenship and the other a Turkish citizen. The proceedings are based on suspicions of a violation of Article 2 of the Federal Act on the Prohibition of “Al-Qaeda”, “Islamic State” and Associated Organisations (SR 122), of supporting or participating in a criminal organisation (Art. 260ter Swiss Criminal Code (SCC)) and of an offence related to representations of acts of violence (Art. 135 SCC). It is suspected that persons have been recruited for the so-called Islamic State or related organisations.
As part of these criminal proceedings, the OAG, with the support of the Federal Office of Police fedpol, today conducted searches of several houses in the canton of Ticino. One person was arrested. In addition, a search was made of a house of prayer; no one was arrested during this search.
As there are certain links concerning the suspects between the federal proceedings and the proceedings in the canton of Ticino, the procedures were carried out in close cooperation with the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the canton of Ticino.
As always, the presumption of innocence applies to all concerned by these proceedings.
For any questions relating to the criminal proceedings in the canton of Ticino, please contact the Cantonal Police in Ticino.
Address for enquiries
André Marty, Head of Communication & Public Affairs of the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland; +41 58 464 32 40; info@ba.admin.ch
Publisher
Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland
http://www.ba.admin.ch/
