French arrest nuclear scientist over al-Qaeda links

A French physicist of Algerian descent, who works at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern), has been arrested on suspicion of links to al-Qaeda. Anti-terrorism magistrates in Paris have filed preliminary charges after he was said to have exchanged Internet messages with people known to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb region of Algeria, in which he expressed a desire to carry out attacks. Officials say the suspect had not been at work for almost a year because he was ill. His brother, also arrested, was released without being charged.