Belgium holds Al Qaida suspects after attack threat

Brussels: At least 14 people, three of whom were feared to have been planning an attack, were detained in Belgium on Thursday of suspected links with Al Qaida, federal prosecutors said.

Broadcaster RTBF's website quoted unnamed justice sources as saying the target of the suspected attack could have been a two-day European Union leaders' summit starting on Thursday.

The federal prosecutors had detained the suspects purely as a preventive measure, a government source said.

"There were indications of the possibility that they were planning an attack somewhere," said the source, adding that so far no arrests had been made.

An EU spokesman said there had been no change to security arrangements for the summit.