A nuclear scientist has been charged with belonging to an Algerian group tied to al-Qaida, French investigators said Friday.

The suspect worked at the top nuclear research lab in Europe, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known by its French acronym, CERN, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The 32-year-old man, a resident of Vienne, France, was taken into custody with his brother Thursday, The Times of London reported. Police said the arrests followed an 18-month investigation.

Investigators suggested the two men were working with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, and planned terrorist attacks in France.

"The inquiry will doubtless say what were the objectives in France or elsewhere and indicate perhaps that we have avoided the worst possible scenario," Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said.

CERN said the man is not one of its employees but works there under a contract with an outside institute.

"His work did not bring him into contact with anything that could be used for terrorism: CERN is a particle physics research laboratory whose research addresses fundamental questions about the universe," CERN said in a statement. "None of our research has potential for military application, and all our results are published openly in the public domain."