Indictment in Spain Alleges Madrid Islamic Group is Affiliated with al Qaeda
Today's New York Times reports that Spanish Investigative Judge Baltazar Garzon indicted several members of a Madrid-based Islamic group for participating in activities which supported the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11. This group was also apparently involved in a foiled plot to attack the American Embassy in Paris as well.
The article characterizes the Islamic group, called Soldiers of Allah, as a terrorist cell affiliated with al Qaeda. In part, the article says that "Judge Garzon's account is based in part on years of telephone intercepts by the Spanish authorities. The document makes clear that Spanish intelligence has been watching Mr. Yarkas and listening to him in his interactions with other suspected Al Qaeda operatives around Europe and Asia since at least 1997."
The article also says that Judge Garzon has become well known internationally for attempting to have General Augusto Pinochet extradited from the United Kingdom to face charges that he violated the human rights of Spaniards who were in Chile at the time that Pinochet was the dictator there.