One of the terrorists believed responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon stayed in Switzerland this year, the state's domestic intelligence chief said Sunday.
Speaking to the Sunday newspaper Sonntagsblick, Urs von Daeniken said: "The two terrorist pilots, Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi, passed through Switzerland this year and stayed in a hotel in the Zurich area."
One of the two was in transit, but the other "not only crossed Switzerland, he stayed here. It hasn't been ruled out that he may have stayed on for longer under a false name," he added.
Von Daeniken had indicated Friday that it was believed one of the pilots found dead in the plane had spent some time in Switzerland earlier this year.
According to the newspaper, there were indications that the terrorists had stayed in the German port of Hamburg and had also contacted terrorist cells in southern Germany, one of which had been broken up on December 26 last year as it prepared an attack on Strasbourg's Christmas market.
The Swiss authorities have meanwhile opened a judicial inquiry to determine whether there is a terrorist group in Switzerland which was involved in the US attacks, and whether it is linked to crimes committed in Switzerland.
Spokesman Hansjurg Mark Wiedmer said the inquiry, opened against persons unknown, would allow Switzerland to "shed light on our suspicions that there may be links between the attacks and activities committed on Swiss soil.
"We cannot give details about the events in question. The criminal enquiry will be conducted on a wide scale, and could involve people, acts and documents," Wiedmer added.
But he did say the investigation was centred on kidnappings, hostage-takings, murders, crimes committed against Swiss citizens living abroad and criminal acts aboard aircraft.
Wiedmer also said the launch of the enquiry was in part related to the fact that four Swiss nationals are believed to be among those killed in Tuesday's attacks. Two others are still missing -- GENEVA (AFP)
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