MANAGUA, Sept. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- International terror group Al Qaeda had operations recently in Central America, but does not pose an immediate threat to the region, Nicaragua's army commander Javier Carrion said Thursday.

    Carrion said there is nothing to concern now although the state of alert is being maintained in the region.

    Nicaraguan Police Commander Edwin Cordero said his country is investigating suspicious persons who could have ties with terrorist organizations.

    "We're in alert, but this does not mean there is a mass presence of police agents in cities or key places. Our alert is about intelligence work," Cordero said.

    He added that the police have no information on the existence of ties between gangs and terror groups.

    Leaders of Central American countries held a meeting in El Salvador on Wednesday night over the presence of Al Qaeda members in the region. The Al Qaeda operatives could have met with membersof a transnational criminal gang known as Mara Salvatrucha.

    The Washington Post also reported that Al Qaeda would seek support from Central American gangs to infiltrate into the United States through Mexico. Enditem