BBC News Online: World: Europe

Swiss quiz Bin Laden suspects

The men were held after an international operation

The two men are believed to have appeared on an extended list of terror suspects published by the United States, which now includes dozens of names.

Authorities in Italy, Switzerland and the US are said to have co-operated closely to make the arrests.

The men were questioned for six hours before being released, and their lawyer said they had nothing to hide and nothing to fear.

Both men are being described as Egyptians, although one appears on the original US list as holding Swiss and Tunisian citizenship.

One source told the Associated Press news agency that both men were senior members of the banned Egyptian fundamentalist group the Muslim Brotherhood.

Reports said the searches were carried out at the request of Swiss prosecutors, who have opened an inquiry into the deaths of two Swiss citizens in the World Trade Center.

List details

The extended list published by the US Government adds the names of 62 groups and people to those already named President George W Bush since the 11 September attacks.

Other suspects on the list are believed to have bases in Rome and Florence.

The list includes Islamic money exchanges with offices in the US, which investigators say have funnelled tens of millions of dollars around the world to fund terrorist activities.

The list is also said to target assets in several countries, including Somalia, Liechtenstein, the Bahamas, Sweden, Canada, Austria, Italy and the United Arab Emirates.