Muslim Cleric in London Implicated in Spanish Investigation of al Qaeda
The Independent reports that Abu Qatada has been identified as the "spiritual leader" of al Qaeda in Europe by the Spanish anti-terror investigation that we first pointed out yesterday. According to this latest article, the indictment has now led to a total of 11 arrests in Madrid and Granada. The article further states that Judge Garzon has concluded that "Mr. Yarkas had four main contacts in Britain, the most important being Mr. Qatada. Three other contacts of the Madrid al Qaeda cell are named as Abu Walid, Abu al-Hareth and Abu Bashir. Mr. Walid is described in the indictment as 'Qatada's second man' and is said to have moved from Britain to Afghanistan. Mr. al-Hareth is described as the 'Osama bin Laden unofficial representative in the UK'."