Switzerland, not US, initiated Polanski's detention

GENEVA: Swiss officials tipped off the United States and set in motion the arrest of director Roman Polanski last month in his decades-old child sex case, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Switzerland's justice ministry spokesman, Folco Galli, said the e-mails - obtained in Los Angeles under a US public records request - showed that Swiss officials followed proper procedure when a wanted individual is expected in Switzerland.

"If we know a wanted individual is coming, we always ask if the arrest warrant is valid," Galli said.