[CNN]
Moroccan suspected of being terrorist arrested in Spain
By Al Goodman , CNN
February 8, 2013 -- Updated 2224 GMT (0624 HKT)
CNN.com
Madrid (CNN) -- A man suspected of being an Islamic terrorist has been arrested
by Spanish police in Valencia, the Interior Ministry said Friday.
The Moroccan suspect, Mohamed Echaabi, is considered a "lone wolf" who was
planning targeted killings and other attacks in Spain and elsewhere in Europe,
the ministry said.
Echaabi is considered by police to have a profile similar to that of Mohammed
Merah, the self-styled al Qaeda jihadist who authorities said killed seven
people in Toulouse, France, in March 2012. After a 32-hour standoff, Merah was
killed by police in his home.
Echaabi, arrested Thursday, had been under surveillance for some time, the
ministry said in a statement. He was recruited by terrorist networks and
educated himself via the Internet, it said.
He is alleged to have planned "to commit terrorist actions against relevant
personalities or other objectives in agreement with the doctrine of global
jihad, as much in Spain as in other European countries.
The ministry said that the man had attempted to acquire firearms and explosives.
"Echaabi underwent a process of radicalization in which he acquired firm,
extreme convictions that led him to leave Spain and travel to Gaza in 2011 with
the goal of carrying out an action of suicidal character against Israeli
interests," it said.
In an effort to hide their radical ideology and blend in with others, such
individuals may not follow the precepts of Islam, "which is why it is common
that they wear Western clothes, don't have beards, drink alcohol, smoke or eat
pork -- all with the goal of passing unnoticed and integrating in the society
they want to attack."
That formula for carrying out terrorist attacks requires sophisticated
intelligence efforts by international police services to uncover and is
espoused by al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri, the ministry said.
CNN's Tom Watkins contributed to this report
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All
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