Capdepera.A suspected member of the international terrorist organisation Al Qaeda was arrested yesterday on Majorca by Guardia Civil officers in Cala Ratjada, in the municipality of Capdepera.
The detainee is a Cuban, J.E.F.M. who has reportedly become particularly radical in recent years. For many years he worked in hotels in the area.
An investigation into the suspect's activities was begun last year and a dossier of his pursuits meticulously compiled.
Charges being brought against J.E.F.M. include belonging to a terrorist organisation, in this case Al Qaeda, and furthering its causes through recruiting.
He is also accused of publicly distributing messages or propaganda aimed at nurturing opportunities for terrorist infiltration, attacks and threats. The Guardia Civil claim that the suspect has as many as 1'120 videos of a radical nature on the internet including Youtube, the majority of which he has supposedly produced himself.
The Cuban, say investigating sources, is an extreme defender of Al Qaeda's international Islamic crusade to annihilate non-believers and has preyed on vulnerable individuals on the internet to extend his network of followers.
When officers searched and sealed off his address, they found a wealth of computer material - several laptop computers, external hard disc drives, and USB memory boards and cards. The investigation into the activities of J.E.F.M., one source said, has been ordered and monitored by Justice ministry authorities in Madrid. The Guardia Civil said that despite yesterday's arrest, further probes will be made into possible network contacts of J.E.F.M.
British tip off
It was revealed last night that it was a tip-off from the British security services, either the SIS Intelligence Service or officials at GCHQ, the highly secretive listening post outside Cheltenham, which led Spanish police to the arrest.
The Cuban suspect allegedly contacted a high level member of Al Qaeda through the internet. The contact was logged by British intelligence who passed the information to their Spanish colleagues. After weeks of investigation it culminated with the raid on the Cala Ratjada home yesterday