Belgian authorities have detained six people in connection with last year’s foiled attack on a Thalys express train to France.

Militant Islamic suspects brought three vans into Germany, but it has yet to be established whether they intended to use them as car bombs in an attack on US and other targets, an official said today.

Three Iraqis, arrested in Germany today, were plotting to assassinate Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi during his Berlin visit, prosecutors said.