Yearning for Al-Andalus. “Spain: Police arrest 17 Al-Qaeda suspects in north,” from AKI, May 20 (thanks to C. Cantoni):
Bilbao, 20 May (AKI) – Spain’s police on Wednesday have arrested at least 17 suspects alleged to be members of an Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb cell in the northern city of Bilbao. The arrests were followed by raids in various neighbourhoods throughout the city.
The arrested – mostly Moroccan and Algerian nationals – are alleged to have financed Al-Qaeda by falsifying credit cards, as well as through drug trafficking and theft, Spanish media reported. A minor was also arrested in the raids.
The anti-terrorism operation was ordered by judge Eloy Velasco of the National Court of Spain, a senior court which hears cases related to terrorism and organised crime.
The arrests and raids took place early on Wednesday and continued throughout the morning.
The Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb evolved from the Salafite Group for Preaching and Combat, initially formed to create an Islamic state in Algeria, but is now believed to have more widespread goals….