Spanish police arrest 7 suspected jihadistsFebruary 8, 2016 - 08:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Spanish police have arrested seven people with suspected links to so-called Islamic State (IS) and other jihadist groups, officials said, according to BBC News. The suspects were held in raids in the cities of Valencia and Alicante and in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. They provided logistical support for terrorist activities in Iraq and Syria, police said. They said the alleged leader of the cell was also asked by IS to supply women for militants in the two countries. Four of those arrested are Spanish nationals of Jordanian, Moroccan and Syrian origin. Another two are Syrian and Moroccan citizens. The authorities did not provide details about the seventh suspect. The investigation - which is still ongoing - was launched in 2014 into what police describe as "foreign structures" of IS on Spanish soil. Meanwhile, a second member of a British group of Islamic State militants dubbed "the Beatles" has been identified as 32-year-old Londoner Alexanda Kotey, according to Reuters. The group, whose leader Mohammed Emwazi gained notoriety for appearing in videos showing the murders of Western hostages, are said by former hostages of Islamic State to have been assigned to guard foreign prisoners, and were nicknamed "the Beatles" due to their English accents. Londoner Emwazi, referred to by British media as "Jihadi John", is believed to have been killed in a U.S. drone strike last year. The reports said Kotey was a soccer fan who had grown up in West London and converted to Islam in his early 20s, after meeting a Muslim woman with whom he had two children. He had attended the same mosque as Emwazi. Kotey has a Greek Cypriot mother and Ghanaian father, and left Britain in 2009 to travel to Gaza as part of an aid convoy. A U.S. intelligence official had confirmed that Kotey had traveled to Syria. Photo: ABC News Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Court in Azerbaijan extends former Karabakh leader’s arrest by 5 months The Binagadi District Court in Azerbaijan has granted the prosecutor’s petition to extend the arrest of Arkady Ghukasyan. Ucom General Director joins High-Tech Development Panel Discussion The discussion was titled "The Role of International Corporations and Investors as Catalysts for Development of High-Tech Ecosystem." U.S. still believes “peace is possible” between Armenia, Azerbaijan The United States continues to believe that peace is possible between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vedant Patel says. Dozens detained as antigovernment protest continue in Armenia At least 63 people demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation were detained on May 14 as they blocked streets in Yerevan. |