France seizes weapons cache from group

? French counterterrorism agents seized guns, ammunition, dynamite and other weapons Thursday in a probe of suspected Islamic militants who officials said use robberies to fund terror groups – possibly including al-Qaida in Iraq.

Police seized the arms cache in a parking garage in Clichy-sous-Bois just north of Paris, working off information gleaned from questioning suspects. Agents found several pounds of TNT, 19 sticks of dynamite, AK-47 and Famas assault rifles, revolvers, ammunition, ski masks and bulletproof vests, judicial and police officials said.

“Thanks to questioning, a stash of arms has been discovered, which shows how serious this affair is,” Interior Ministry Nicolas Sarkozy said, claiming they had uncovered a new link between suspected terror groups and organized crime in France.

Judicial officials expressed caution about Sarkozy’s assertion that 28 suspects rounded up in police raids Monday and Wednesday had indirect links to Iraq’s most feared terror group.