Spanish police detain fourth al-Qaida suspect in two days

Associated Press WriterMADRID, Spain (AP) -- Police detained another Syrian-born al-Qaida suspect in a widening operation against a Spanish-based network that may have played a key role in preparing the Sept. 11 attacks, police said Wednesday.

Kamal Hadid Chaar, a Spanish citizen, was detained at his Madrid home, police said in a statement, adding that they were studying documents confiscated from the residence.

On Tuesday, three other suspects were taken into custody, including one who had videotaped American landmarks such as the Golden Gate bridge, the Sears Tower, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the World Trade Center, which was destroyed on Sept. 11.

As a result of those arrests, San Francisco police doubled patrols near the Golden Gate Bridge on Wednesday.

The Spanish police statement said Chaar was an associate of Abdalrahman Alarnaot Abu-Aljer, one of the suspects detained Tuesday, and was implicated in fund-raising activities for al-Qaida.

Police said Chaar belonged to an al-Qaida cell led by Imad Yarkas, who has been in Spanish custody since last November, charged with recruiting and fund-raising for al-Qaida. Yarkas' phone number was found in the Hamburg apartment where hijacker Mohamed Atta lived.

Chaar is also linked to Mohamed Setmarian Nasar, a key al-Qaida operative who ran a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, the statement said. Police did not say whether he was connected to Ghasoub Al-Abrash Ghalyoun, the suspect detained Tuesday who shot the video footage during a 1997 visit to the United States.

In Washington, a Justice Department official said the FBI is reviewing the videotapes to determine if the men planned to attack American monuments. An FBI task force is working with law enforcement authorities in Spain to locate and capture suspected terrorists, including men with terrorist links who have traveled to the United States in recent years.