A man walks under a sign, in the center of Zaventem, Belgium, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Belgian police have arrested a person based on a Spanish arrest warrant, that national media say is the leader of an “Islamist terrorist cell.” (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Republished September 27, 2017 - 6:35 AM
Original Publication Date September 27, 2017 - 1:26 AM
MADRID - Spanish police say Belgian agents have arrested a Spaniard suspected of leading a cell that worked to recruit and indoctrinate members for the Islamic State group.
A National Police statement said the 26-year-old of Moroccan origin was arrested Wednesday in the city of Zaventem. It said he was the last part of a five-member Belgian-based cell and its chief provider of propaganda material, using his house and cafes for meetings.
Police said the group started in 2014. Three members, including the detainee's brother, were arrested by Spanish police over the past two years and one was arrested in Morocco.
It said the Spaniard maintained contact with IS combatants and tried twice to travel to conflict zones. He then concentrated the group's efforts in locating targets for attacks in Belgium.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017