By the BBC's James Coomarasamy

One of the world's most famous conductors was briefly detained by Swiss police on suspicion of being linked to terrorist activities.

Frenchman Pierre Boulez had his passport confiscated in the town of Basle where he had been conducting at a music festival last month.

Europe has seen a series of anti-terrorist dawn raids since 11 September, but this must be the strangest.

Security threat

Pierre Boulez was sleeping in his five star Swiss hotel when police dragged him from bed and informed him he was on their national list of terrorist suspects.

Organisers have demanded an apology from the authorities for Mr Boulez's detention

The 75-year-old, who once conducted the BBC symphony orchestra, had his passport confiscated for three hours before he was free to go.

Strangely, it was not a case of mistaken identity.

In the revolutionary 1960s, it seems that Boulez said that opera houses should be blown up, comments which the Swiss felt made him a potential security threat.

The embarrassed organisers of the music festival where he had been conducting have now demanded an apology from the authorities.