(AP) - An Iraqi arrested in Al-Qaeda fighter says that during the World Cup in South Africa attacks on the football teams and supporters from the Netherlands and Denmark wanted to commit. He wanted it insults the Prophet Muhammad revenge.

The Iraqi authorities made the arrest of the Saudis Abdullah Saleh al-Qahtani Azam Monday. Iraqi security officials in an arranged interview with the Associated Press did Al-Qahtani Tuesday details of the plot revealed. He said the World Cup, which begins June 11, is regarded as an important target.

"We have discussed the possibility of insults to avenge the Prophet by Denmark and the Netherlands to attack," said Al Qahtani. It would be easier to travel to South Africa than the two European countries. "The goal was the Danish and Dutch teams and their supporters to attack. If we could not take the teams, we should focus on the fans." The attackers hoped arms and car bombs, he said.

An Iraqi security officer from the investigation and Al-Qahtani's knowledge, said that no concrete steps were put to the plan to implement, such as purchasing bommateriaal. The plan had to be approved by the leadership of Al Qaeda, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian number two of the terrorist organization.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague tells not the case in the know.

A spokesman for the South African police said Tuesday that the South African authorities are still awaiting information from their Iraqi counterparts. The only thing in South Africa is known about the plan comes from the media, he said. FIFA did not comment Tuesday knowingly wanting to deliver on specific potential threats during the soccer tournament.

The arrest of al-Qahtani was a result of a joint Iraqi-US operation in April, with two leaders of Al-Qaida in Iraq have been slain, said the Iraqi security officer. During the search of the house where Abu Ayyub al Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is hiding of documents, including a note from Al-Qahtani found that provides the details of the plan were. That and other information put on the authorities to track al-Qahtani.

The Iraqi security officer did not note the specific content of the deal, including how the plan would work and by whom would be executed. He just wanted to confirm that the teams of the Netherlands and Denmark and their supporters were named as potential targets.

AMSTERDAM (AP) -- Dutch security officials said Wednesday they are taking seriously the threat to football fans after a terrorism suspect arrested in Iraq claimed he considered attacking Dutch or Danish fans at the World Cup in South Africa.

But the Dutch anti-terrorism office and Danish authorities said they aren't yet planning any new security measures in response.

Judith Sluiter of the Netherlands' anti-terrorism coordination office says the comments made by Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani were in line with her agency's perception of potential threats.

"Dutch interests abroad are more at risk than they are inside this country at the moment," Sluiter said. "Here, they're limited, but abroad, they're substantial."

Al-Qahtani said in a prison interview he considered attacking the Dutch and Danish teams or fans to avenge perceived insults to Islam.

"We discussed the possibility of taking revenge for the insults of the prophet by attacking Denmark and Holland," al-Qahtani told The Associated Press. "If we were not able to reach the teams, then we'd target the fans."

Al-Qahtani, a Saudi citizen, was arrested in Iraq on May 3 after a note he had written detailing similar plans was found at a house where two leading al-Qaida suspects were killed in April.

Dutch citizens are considered potential targets in part due to an anti-Islam film made by right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Similarly, Danes have been considered at risk due to the publication of cartoons featuring Islam's prophet Mohammed.

Vish Naidoo, a spokesman for South African police, said the report from Baghdad would not affect World Cup security planning because terrorism had always been part of the calculations.

Interpol, the international police coordination agency, is sending 200 experts to assist at the tournament, while each of the 31 visiting teams will be sending up to eight officers to work with South African counterparts.

South Africa itself has trained 44,000 extra police for the event and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa predicted Tuesday that this World Cup will be "the safest and most secure" ever.

Sluiter said her agency was in touch with intelligence agencies about potential threats and "keeping its finger on the pulse."

"Do we have concrete leads that something is happening? No. We don't have cause to take any concrete security measures at this moment," she said.

Jakob Scharf, the head of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, said the high-profile nature of the tournament made it an automatic target.

"It is therefore not surprising that there have been various statements on militant Islamist websites since April 2010, which call for attacks on the World Cup event and participating countries," Scharf said in a statement, adding that Danes were at special risk because of the cartoon controversy.

"However, it is important to stress that the South African authorities have launched extensive security measures in the implementation of the World Cup and that South Africa has already hosted major sporting events which have gone smoothly."

Renske Bruinsma, spokeswoman for the Royal Netherlands Football Association said Wednesday fans were being given basic information about personal security when they buy tickets. But she said the association was deferring to South African and Dutch Embassy officials about any major threats.

The Netherlands' national team departs for a pre-tournament training camp in Switzerland on Wednesday.

Denmark captain Jon Dahl Tomasson declined to comment Wednesday on the terrorism threat.

"I think we should focus on one thing, and that is we are heading out to play great football," the Feyenoord striker said.

Associated Press writers Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen and Donna Bryson in Johannesburg contributed to this report.