Four suspected Islamic militants flown to Madrid

Four suspected Islamic militants arrested in the Canary Islands arrived in Madrid under heavy guard today, an official said.

One of the four suspects – Hassan al Haski, 41 – is believed to have played a role in the March 11 Madrid train bombings, an attack that killed 191 people, the Interior Ministry said yesterday.

The four suspects – al Haski; Ali Fahimi, 31; Abdallah Mourib, 36; and Brahim Atia El Hammouchi, 40 – are all Moroccans. They were flown today to a Spanish air force base on a plane with more than 50 guards, among them agents specialising in information and in the deactivation of explosives, said an anti-terrorism police spokesman.

Searches on the island led to “the capture of abundant documents in Arabic, letters and computer discs that will be analysed in Madrid”, the spokesman said.

The four were arrested yesterday on suspicion of belonging to the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, an Islamic organisation with alleged ties to al Qaida. The group is believed to have carried out the 2003 Casablanca, Morocco attacks, which killed 32 people.

The four are suspected of trying to set up a logistical base in Canary Islands, a popular holiday destination.

The arrests were ordered by National Court judges Baltasar Garzon and Juan del Olmo. The two handle most of Spain’s terrorism investigations.