Spain: 12 Pakistanis held for plotting a terrorist attack
Madrid, Jan 20: Spanish police has arrested 14 suspected militants -- 12 Pakistanis and two others -- in an early morning raids on Jan 19. Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said that the authorities suspected that the men were plotting a terrorist attack in Barcelona.
Rubalcaba
said
four
timers
had
been
found
in
some
of
the
suspects" homes,
the
Dawn
reported.
“When
someone
has
timers
at
home
you
have
no
option
but
to
think
violent
acts
are
being
planned,"
he
said,
adding
that
more
arrests
were
expected
and
the
country
was
on
high
security
alert.
He
said
that
the
arrests
--
many
of
which
were
reportedly
in
Barcelona"s
Raval
neighbourhood
--
were
prompted
by
information
from
several
European
intelligence
agencies.
Raval is home to one of Spain"s largest concentrations of Pakistani immigrants. Spain"s leading El Pais newspaper noted that the discovery of the alleged plot coincided with a visit to Europe by President Pervez Musharraf, who is scheduled to make stops in France, Britain and Switzerland in coming days.
Civil Guard officers made the arrests as part of raids planned with the National Intelligence Centre, Rubalcaba said. Five homes were searched overnight, he said. Spanish newspapers reported that a mosque and an unauthorised prayer centre had also been targeted. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero confirmed the arrests and said investigations were continuing.
ANI