13 seized in Spain al Qaeda raid

Spanish police launch raids on suspects reported to have links with al Qaeda.

Armed Spanish police break into a Barcelona apartment, searching for suspects in an international document forgery ring.

13 people were arrested in Barcelona and Valencia early on Tuesday.

Police are investigating whether they supplied forged documents to international militant groups.

Spanish media reports say police sources have told them the group in question is al Qaeda - although the police haven't commented officially on this.

No weapons or explosives are believed to have been been uncovered in the raids.

Police say that nationals from Pakistan, Nigeria and India are among those in custody.

Most of the arrests were in Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city, but two were in Valencia, the third-largest city, also on the Mediterranean coast.

Sources closes to the investigation, codenamed "Operation Fish", say it could be extended to other parts of Spain, as well as France, Britain, Belgium, Italy and Thailand.

The operation was coordinated by a judge at Madrid's anti-terrorism National Court.

Spain suffered Europe's deadliest Islamist attack when four Madrid trains were bombed in March 2004.

A hundred and ninety one commuters were killed and a further 1,800 wounded in the explosions, three days before a general election.

Jim Drury,

Reuters