Two arrested in Finland in terror financing probe

HELSINKI: A man and a woman with foreign backgrounds have been detained in Finland on suspicion of financing terrorism and recruiting people for terror attacks on another country, police said on Saturday.

"There is a reason to believe these actions are related to such an organisation which is suspected of terrorism actions," Detective Inspector Kaj Bjorkqvist from the National Bureau of Investigation said.

The two suspects had been under surveillance by the security intelligence service before their arrest on Sept. 7, police said. They appeared at Helsinki district court a week ago and were remanded in custody at a special hearing for which court papers have not been released.

In the police's first detailed comment on the case, Bjorkqvist said the plans for a possible attack were not targeted against Finland, but a country "not very near" to Finland. The security threat level in Finland had not increased, he told reporters.

Finnish newspapers said the two had Somali backgrounds but Bjorkqvist declined to comment on their nationality or name any organisations or countries the investigation was linked to.

Police have searched a number of houses in the capital region and confiscated evidence. They are also investigating whether other people are linked with the case.

Copyright Reuters, 2011