Caracas | Sunday
SPAIN announced on Sunday the arrest of an Algerian suspected of raising funds for the deadly attacks on US embassies in Africa in 1998, blamed on Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network.
”This is a heavy blow to the finance apparatus of this terrorist network,” Interior Minister Mariano Rajoy said of the arrest of Ahmed Brahim in Barcelona on Saturday.
Brahim (57) was arrested at his home in a suburb of the Mediterranean city in an operation coordinated with police from several other countries including the United States, France and Germany after a seven-month investigation.
Rajoy described Brahim as a major figure in al-Qaida and an aide to the network’s ”financial brain” Mamduh Mahmud Salim, who is accused of conspiracy over the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 240 people and injured more than 4 000.
The minister told reporters in the northwestern town of Pontevedra that Brahim, who is now in custody in Madrid, had been involved in financing both operations.
He claimed Brahim worked as an aide to Salim, also known as Abu Hajer, who is accused by US prosecutors of being the network’s chief financier.
Salim is currently awaiting trial in the United States over the bombing.
In early April, he also pleaded guilty to stabbing a prison guard in the eye in November 2000 in an attempt to take hostages and escape from a federal jail.
According to Spain’s civil guard, Brahim was involved in an array of activities for the network, such as buying and selling boats and computer equipment and stock market trading.
Rajoy said four French youths found at Brahim’s house at the time of his arrest were being investigated but had not been arrested.
Spanish authorities have arrested nine suspected members of al-Qaida since November as part of an ongoing investigation into the September 11 attacks in the United States in which more than 3 000 people died.
Eight were accused of direct involvement in preparing and carrying out the attacks and charged with offences including plotting terrorist attacks after police intercepted a number of telephone conversations in which plans were allegedly discussed.
The arrests were ordered by Madrid’s investigating magistrate, Baltasar Garzon, who has been spearheading the probe into Islamic extremists in Spain. – Sapa-AFP