Twenty-five people have been detained in Iceland and questioned about the the Falun Gong movement.
Iceland is trying to prevent Falun Gong practitioners from disrupting a four-day visit this week by China's President Jiang Zemin. Iceland says it does not have enough police to deal with a very large demonstration.
Oskar Thormundsson, chief superintendent of police at Keflavik airport in southwest Iceland, said the 25 arrived on two flights early Tuesday morning from Boston and New York. They comprised Americans, Canadians, Chinese and Australians.
The superintendent said the men and women, aged between 25 and 60, would probably be sent back to the United States.
China banned the group in July 1999, calling it a threat to communist rule. Falun Gong followers say it is a peaceful meditation movement and that hundreds of followers have died as a result of police abuse and torture during the Chinese crackdown.
In Reykjavik, Icelandic followers of Falun Gong were consulting with police chiefs to outline their plans for a series of protests.
Ministry of Justice officials said last week that they had been alerted by Interpol and authorities in countries such as the United States to plans for a large protest against Jiang.
AFP