German police arrest six Tamil separatists

German police have arrested six leading Tamil separatists, the federal prosecution agency said Friday.

The men - three German and three Sri Lankan nationals - are suspected of belonging to an organisation which extorts money from ethnic Tamils living in Germany, to fund Sri Lanka's rebel Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group.

One of the men, 34-year-old Vijikanendra V. S., is suspected of leading the German-based Tamil Coordination Committee (TCC), federal prosecutors said.

The other men are thought to be members of the organisation, which represents the LTTE in Germany.

The European Union (EU) listed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation in 2006.

Police also searched eight premises, including the TCC's centre in Oberhausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia.