Islamic terrorists caught in Spain

The Associated Press reports that the Spanish aren’t avoiding terrorists just by evacuating from Iraq (WSJ link);

Fourteen suspected Islamic militants arrested in Spain on Saturday may have been planning a terrorist action in Barcelona, the interior minister said.

Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said more arrests were expected and the country was on high security alert. He said overnight searches of the suspects’ homes unearthed four timers.

“When someone has timers at home you have no option but to think violent acts are being planned,” he said.

The arrests in Barcelona were prompted by information from several European intelligence agencies, and there was evidence the suspects — 12 Pakistani nationals and two people from India — could have been planning “a terrorist action” in the northern city, he told a news conference.

Civil Guard officers made the arrests as part of raids planned with the National Intelligence Center, the Spanish equivalent of the CIA, Mr. Rubalcaba said.

Maybe the most remarkable part of the story is that AP actually identified them as “Islamic”.

I guess the promise that al Qaeda made to leave Spain alone if they withdrew from Iraq had an expiration date attached.

Category: Foreign Policy, Media, Politics, Terror War