GENEVA, June 8 (Xinhua) -- A plot by a suspected terrorist cell to shoot down an Israeli airliner has been foiled by the Swiss authorities, it was announced on Thursday.

    The Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office confirmed that seven people of North African origin were under arrest in connection with the plan.

    The arrests were made following raids on May 12 in Basel and Zurich, according to a statement issued by the office.

    "The inquiry... showed that this cell had seriously envisaged to commit an attack in our country against a plane belonging to the Israeli airline El Al," it said.

    Israeli media reported last month that the terrorist cell had planned a rocket attack on the EL Al flight in December 2005, during takeoff from Geneva airport.

    Following the report, the airport's authorities confirmed to Swiss media that for a week in December 2005 El Al flights to Tel Aviv were diverted to Zurich.

    "We were not given any explanation," spokesman Philippe Roy said when referring to the divertion.

    El Al, which runs three flights a week between Tel Aviv and Geneva, said it did not comment on security matters.

    Swiss investigations found that one of the members of the group had links to Mohamed Achraf, the suspected mastermind of a plot to blow up the National Court in Madrid.

    Achraf was arrested in Switzerland and then extradited to Spain in April last year.

    According to the Prosecutor's Office, justice officials moved in on a group carrying out thefts across the Zurich region in early 2005.

    Subsequent investigations found that part of the profits from the thefts were going toward financing a terrorist organization and that the arrested people had contacts with similar cells in France and Spain.

    The May arrests were "the result of a long and very close collaboration with the police and justice authorities in several European countries and a huge investigation in Switzerland," said the statement. Enditem