Spanish police arrest 8 suspected members of radical Islamic cell

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Police arrested eight suspected members of an Islamic extremist cell that allegedly aided groups linked to al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday. The suspects, all Algerians, are accused of recruiting people, raising money and providing logistical support for terror groups linked to al-Qaida's branch in North Africa, the ministry said in a statement. The men were arrested in the provinces of Barcelona, Navarra in the north and Castellon in the east on orders from the National Court, the Madrid-based tribunal that handles Spain's terrorism cases, the ministry said. Police also seized approximately $11,000 in cash, records of money transfers to Algeria, bank passbooks, CDs, videos and documentation from the suspects' homes. As part of the same operation, police detained another 10 people who the ministry did not name as members of the cell. It said investigators will determine "their degree of participation" in the alleged cell's activities. Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa is based in Algeria.