SPANISH police have arrested a suspected member of a terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaeda who allegedly ran an internet site that spread propaganda and sought to recruit members to carry out attacks, the Interior Ministry said.
Abdellatif Aoulad Chiba, 37, from Morocco was arrested in La Linea de la Concepcion, a coastal town close to the British colony of Gibraltar on Spain's southwestern tip, a ministry statement said.
Chiba had been expelled from Jordan for suspected terror-related activities, the ministry said, without providing any other details.
The statement said he is a suspected member of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an offshoot of al-Qaeda that sprang from an Algerian insurgency movement in late 2006.
The ministry said the website - which was not named - also offered training for new members, encouraged terror actions and provided links to statements and media products from the leaders of Islamic terror groups.
The ministry said police were searching Chiba's house after the arrest.
The investigation began after police noticed an increase in the number of people connecting to jihad internet forums to discuss ways of carrying out attacks in the West, the ministry said.
It said international cooperation enabled police to locate Chiba in Spain.
Like other al-Qaeda affiliates, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claims it helped start the popular uprisings now under way around the Arab world. It is believed to be seeking a stronger foothold among opposition groups in the these countries and has released a video aimed at luring new followers for revolt by jihad, or holy war.
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