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Spanish police arrest five more suspects over Madrid bombings[excerpt]

MADRID :
German press reports meanwhile said that up to three suspects arrested in Spain had lived in Germany where they were long known to security officials for their "readiness to resort to violence".
Citing German federal police BKA and the intelligence agency BND ntv television said three suspects who were detained Wednesday had lived in the central state of Hesse for years.
Top federal prosecutor Kay Nehm is looking into the cases, media reports added.
Contacted by AFP, the federal police and the intelligence agency would not comment on the reports.
N-tv said German intelligence agents suspect the men of belonging to a larger group of extremists resident of several German regions and notably those close to the border with France.
According to German intelligence reports about 270 potential Muslim terrorists live in Germany, with up to 200 having undergone training in special camps.

In keeping with your last post: The recent report from "Spiegel" below re-iterates the information in your link.

More importantly: "Spiegel" questions if the attacks were planned in Germany. They definitely use geplant (planned) today, rather than the vorbereitet (prepared) from yesterday.

The German press is going after this story. If they find the Madrid bombing was actually planned in Germany, I'm sure all hell will break loose over there.

26. März 2004

GERMAN TERROR-LEADS

Police search apartment in Darmstadt Were the Madrid terrorist attacks planned in Germany? One of the alleged perpetrators shall have lived in Hesse during the last months. The Prosecuting attorney's office and police searched the apartment of the suspect in Darmstadt on Thursday evening.

Berlin - The Darmstadt suspect had been arrested in Spain on Wednesday. According to information in the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", it is a man born in 1975 who presumably is from Morocco. The newspaper refers to sources inside Berlin security circles.

The suspect, according to the details, enrolled in the area of electrical engineering at the University of Darmstadt in the winter semester of 2003 and moved into an apartment in the Hessian city. Police and prosecuting attorney's office have already searched the apartment, they said.

ARD - "Tagesthemen" [TV news show, longjack] reported that it was the apartment of a friend, with whom man has stayed at times, which had been searched. A second man arrested in Madrid is known to the German authorities, reported "Tagesthemen" further.

The news station n-tv reported that the men have stayed legally in Germany for years and are known to the German authorities as terror-prone extremists.

At first, the details weren't confirmed from official sides. Neither the Federal Criminal Investigation Agency (BKA) nor the Federal Intelligence Agency (BND) commented on the reports. A BKA spokeswoman referred to the on-going preliminary inquiries by the Chief Federal Prosecutor in connection with the attacks in Madrid.

In the Spanish capital, the Department of the Interior confirmed the arrest of three suspects on Wednesday. From official circles it was said that three Moroccans have been arrested in the greater Madrid area, or in the village of Ugena, 35 kilometers south of the capital. Tt was reported that their apartments were still being searched, and they would be interrogated on Monday. In addition, two more persons were caught in the area of the capitol on Thursday. After the recent arrests, 18 suspects are in police custody. Arrest warrants have been issued against eleven.

"Spiegel-Online"....Polizei durchsucht Wohnung in Darmstadt

Translated by longjack