Spain's Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz pauses during a news conference in Madrid Thursday Aug. 2, 2012. Spanish police arrested three suspected members of al-Qaida who they believe were planning to carry out attacks in Spain and possibly other European countries, Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said Thursday. He said the three men were detained Wednesday. Two of the detainees were from countries of the former Soviet Union and were arrested in the central town of Ciudad Real. The third, a Turk, was detained in the southern town of La Linea. (AP Photo/Paul White)
August 02, 2012 - 6:48 AM
MADRID - Spanish police say they have arrested three suspected members of al-Qaida.
A spokesman said the Russian, Chechen and Turk were taken into custody. He said further details would be provided by Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz later Thursday. He spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with police regulations.
Spanish news reports said the men had explosives and poison when they were detained La Linea, a town close to the disputed British colony of Gibraltar. It said they are believed to have been trained in Pakistan and practiced hang-gliding.
The police spokesman denied the three suspects had poison and said he knew nothing about explosives.
Spanish police have arrested dozens of al-Qaida suspects since 2001.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012