Al Qaeda Suspect Arrested

Police apprehended the suspect, who has only been identified as Ibrahim R., in his apartment early on Tuesday. Prosecutors in the state of Lower Saxony issued a warrant for his arrest on Sept. 24 on strong suspicions that he was supporting a terrorist organization.

It's the first time someone has been detained on German soil specifically for spreading al Qaeda messages. Police searched the man's apartment and confiscated a laptop and a number of computer discs. Prosecutors suspect him of posting video and audio messages from Osama bin Laden and other major al Qaeda leaders on the Internet.

It is unclear when the man, who was identified as an Iraqi citizen, entered Germany. The Federal Prosecutor's Office declined to give further details, saying the case was still ongoing.

Evidence against the man was collected by criminal investigators at both the federal and local levels as well as by the Lower Saxony Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The man is to be taken to the southern German city of Karlsruhe, where he is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

The arrest comes as Germany is trying to step up measures aimed at preventing people from using the Internet to promote terrorism.