Dutch detain 12 Somalis on terror suspicions

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – Dutch police arrested 12 Somali men in the key port city of Rotterdam on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack, the public prosecutor said Saturday.

The men, ages 19 to 48, were detained Friday on a tip from the intelligence services that they were planning an attack. There was no immediate information on the alleged target, but Rotterdam is Europe’s biggest port and a hub of maritime commerce, with huge oil and gas storage facilities and dozens of massive docks.

European officials stepped up security around the holidays this year after a Nigerian man in 2009 left Amsterdam’s airport on Christmas Day and allegedly tried to blow up a plane over Detroit with explosives taped to his underwear.

Asked how serious the threat was, a senior prosecutor said the intelligence tip warranted action.