15 held in French raids

French police are now holding 15 people in for questioning in connection with a deadly terrorist attack in Morocco last year following a swoop on a number of suburban Paris homes today.

DST, France’s domestic security agency, made the arrests after executing raids in the north-eastern suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis and in the eastern Yvelines region on orders of French anti-terrorism judges, police said.

The operation was launched in connection with a series of near simultaneous attacks in Casablanca, Morocco, that killed 33 people and 12 suicide bombers on May 16, 2003.

Police said they so far have uncovered no evidence linking the suspects in France to the rail bombings in Madrid on March 11 that killed at least 191 people.

About eight homes were targeted in the early morning raid.

The identities of the suspects were not released. Under French law, they can be held in detention for up to 96 hours without being formally placed under investigation.