Five Algerians held in Spanish terror probe

Police in Spain have arrested five Algerians suspected of helping to finance an al Qaida-linked terror group in North Africa, the Interior Ministry said today.

A ministry statement said the arrests were made today in four towns in the northern Basque and Navarra regions.

The five are suspected of sending money to the radical Islamist group al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in Algeria.

The statement said the five also maintained contacts with other radical Islamists in France, Italy and Switzerland.

Authorities seized computer material during the raids.