National
Spanish police break up Islamist terror cell - 13 reported arrests
By h.b. - Oct 16, 2008 - 12:29 PM
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A total of 13 alleged Islamist activists have been arrested in a Spanish National Police operation today in Barcelona, Madrid and Andalucía. They were aided by members of the Special Operations Group.
All those arrested are Moroccan and are accused of helping the March 11 2004 fugitives Mohamed Larbi, Ben Sallam, Daoud Ouhnane, Mohamed Alfalah, Othman El Mouhib and Abdelilah Hriz, escape from justice after the Madrid train bombings.
Six of today’s arrests were carried out in Cerdañola del Vallés, Santa Coloma de Gramanet and Badalona in Cataluña, two more in Madrid and one in Algeciras.
Police think some of those those arrested, named as My Mhamed Idriss Hachim, My Driss Ben Moussa, Youssef Ben Moussa, Bilal Ben Moussa, Abdelaziz Laakel, Fouad Dkikar, Mostafa Filali and Mohamed Ben Hesaien, made up a cell which spent its time recruiting and financing Islamist extremists. Possible links to other groups are continuing.
It’s the second time that the Barcelona area has been at the centre of such a group, with 14 arrests taking place there in January of a gang alleged to be planning an attack against the city’s Metro.