Two men suspected to be al Qaeda members were arrested on January 23, federal prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutor Kay Nehm Nehm told a news conference that the men had been planning an attack in Iraq.

Among the two were a 29-year-old Iraqi who was believed to be a senior al Qaeda figure and a 31-year-old stateless Palestinian from Libya, said Nehm.

Police arrested them in Mainz and Bonn respectively for allegedly breaking German laws forbidding membership in a foreign terrorist organization, said Nehm.