Terror police arrest six in Spain

Spanish police have arrested six people suspected of recruiting Islamic fighters for Iraq and engaging in other terrorism-related activities, authorities said today.

The suspects were arrested in the northern Spanish city of Burgos, the Interior Ministry said.

The group is also alleged to have raised money for jailed terrorists, and distributed tapes that praised jihad, or holy war.

The cell carried out much of this activity, and recruiting of possible Islamic fighters, through internet chat rooms, the ministry said in a statement.

It said this was the first such cell broken up in Spain that had sought to promote jihad relying mainly on the internet.

The suspected leader of the cell is Algerian-born Abdelkader Ayachine, and his deputy is a man of Moroccan origin, Wissan Lotfi, the statement said.