Dutch police have arrested a Kurdish man suspected by the United States of links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
A Justice Ministry official confirmed that a man had been arrested at Amsterdam's busy Schiphol international airport on the outskirts of the Dutch capital on Thursday afternoon but declined to provide any details about his identity.
"The man was refused entry to the Netherlands on the grounds of public security. He was arrested. The Dutch immigration service, AIVD (secret service) and justice ministry are discussing what steps to take next," a spokesman said.
Dutch media and officials initially said the man had been arrested on Friday.
The arrest comes against a backdrop of mounting international tension over a call by U.S. President George W. Bush for the unconditional return of U.N. arms inspectors in Iraq. Many Kurds live in the oil-rich northern part of Iraq.
Bush, who has condemned Iraq as a member of an "axis of evil" and has declared his intention to oust Saddam, urged the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday to force Iraq to disarm and said action was inevitable if it failed to do so.
The Netherlands has made a number of arrests in recent months of men suspected of links to al Qaeda.
A Dutch court earlier this month extended the detention of six men suspected of recruiting for Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network in the Netherlands, granting prosecutors more time to investigate.
The men were arrested on August 30 on suspicion of providing financial and logistical support to al Qaeda and recruiting men for a jihad, or holy war. They allegedly used false passports and aliases.
At least half a dozen militant Islamic groups are suspected of operating in the Netherlands.