There were terror cell sweeps across Europe today that resulted in over 20 arrests in Italy. Most of the arrested were from Algeria. The sweeps were targeting terror cells that were preparing would-be suicide bombers that were going to hit targets in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Twenty suspected Islamic extremists have been arrested across Europe as part of a major anti-terror sweep against cells based in northern Italy that were recruiting would-be suicide bombers to carry out attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, police said.

The suspects, primarily Tunisians, were wanted on charges ranging from association with the aim of committing international terrorism to falsifying documents to aid illegal immigrants.

“The investigation has revealed recruitment, training and passage to aspiring terrorists to Iraq and Afghanistan,” lead investigator Gen. Giampaolo Ganzer, of Italy’s paramilitary Carabinieri police, told a news conference Tuesday.

Eleven suspects were arrested in the northern Italian cities of Milan, Reggio Emilia, Imperia and Bergamo, while nine were arrested on warrants issued elsewhere in Europe, Italian news agencies reported. Authorities in Britain, France and Portugal confirmed arrests.

Here is a segment from earlier in the day about this: