Authorities in Belgium, France, and Germany were holding some two dozen people on Friday believed to be linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).
The police raids came a day after
Belgian police killed two people in a firefight and arrested a third, disrupting what they said was an imminent terrorist attack just a week after the siege in Paris.
In France, two people were taken into custody in connection with the Belgium plot.
Another 12 were being held by police in the Paris region and questioned about "possible logistical support," such as weapons or vehicles, they may have lent to the three terrorists involved in the deadly attacks in Paris, the
BBC News reported.
In Germany, police raided 11 properties and arrested two men on Friday morning suspected of recruiting fighters for the Islamic State and providing financial support,
The Wall Street Journal reported.
And in Belgium, 13 people have been detained, according to
The New York Times.
"They were on the verge of committing important terror attacks," Belgium federal magistrate Eric Van der Sypt said at a news conference.
He also announced on Friday that authorities had conducted searches at a dozen locations and found four military-style weapons, according to the Times.
In Paris, the prime minister, Manuel Valls, said he did not believe there was a direct connection between the events in Belgium and the attacks in Paris last week.
"There doesn’t seem to be a link, but we must always remain cautious," he said, according to the Times. "France must protect itself against this jihadist terrorism, this radical Islam."
French police had told The Associated Press earlier that law enforcement was seeking as many as 10 potential accomplices to the French attack that left 17 people and three gunmen dead.
The police raids came as
Secretary of State John Kerry met with French President Francois Hollande on Friday to visit the sites of last week's terrorist attacks and pay tribute to the victims.
Hollande thanked Kerry for offering support saying, "You've been victims yourself of an exceptional terrorist attack on Sept. 11. You know what it means for a country… We must find together appropriate responses," the Times reported.
Kerry had said he was visiting France to "share a big hug with Paris" and show American friendship with "the longest ally in our history."
"The fight against terrorism must be international," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Friday, according to The Associated Press. "Everybody must act: France, Europe, and every country."
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