Authorities say suspects were part of global terror network

German authorities arrested four suspected terrorists with ties to Osama bin Laden and seized weapons and explosives during a search of two Frankfurt apartments, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. THE FOUR were arrested Tuesday on charges of belonging to a criminal organization, arms and explosives violations and falsifying documents. During a subsequent search of two apartments Wednesday, authorities seized 44 pounds of a chemical prosecutors said can be used to manufacture explosives, as well as homemade detonators, a hand grenade, sub-machine guns, dismantled rifles, revolvers and ammunition. Prosecutors said they were part of an international network trained by bin Laden’s followers in Afghanistan, and that they set up logistics in Germany to support attacks on the enemies of Islam. No evidence linking them to any actual or planned attack was found, prosecutors said. Bin Laden, a Saudi exile accused of running a global terrorist network from bases in Afghanistan, is wanted in the United States on charges of directing the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.