Suspects with link to Brussels attacks arrested in Spain

A major counter-terrorism operation underway in the Spanish province of Barcelona today has led to the arrest of several suspects with a possible link to the attacks in Brussels in March last year, write various media.

Belgian federal police agents are collaborating with the Catalan and Spanish national police in the operation, for which the agents carried out 12 searches in five villages around Barcelona on Tuesday morning. The Spanish newspaper El Pais reports that four suspects were arrested during the action.

The detainees are Moroccan nationals between the ages of 31 and 39, according to the newspaper. They have suspected ties with jihadist terror and criminal organisations in Belgium, and a background in drug trafficking.

The action is part of the European judicial cooperation unit Eurojust, which involves the sharing of information between the Spanish and Belgian authorities.

The operation is still underway, according to the Spanish police.