Spain Arrests Aljazeera Journalist

His wife told Aljazeera that police arrived at their Alfacar home with a warrant for his arrest.

"Police in civilian clothes came to our door with a warrant to search the house and to arrest Taysir because he they said he was a member of al-Qaida," she said.

Al-Qaida

Police then took Alouni to Madrid after accusing him of using his profession to enter into contact with "terrorists".

They have accused him of having connections with Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, alias Abu Dahdah, who was arrested on suspicion of being the ringleader of an Islamist cell which Spanish authorities dismantled in November 2001.

Spanish intelligence sources told Aljazeera that Alouni is being held under anti-terrorist legislation.

The laws allow police to detain suspects for three days without access to lawyers or family.

They said he was arrested on the orders of Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon, best known for an unsuccessful bid to put former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on trial.

It is thought the police want to try him before a special tribunal which specialises in cases of terrorism and organised crime.

Condemnation

Soon after the arrest an Arab rights body called for Alouni’s release.

The Arab Commission for Human Rights told Aljazeera the Spanish action was a serious attack on press freedom.

It said the arrest dishonoured Spain and the police should apologise immediately to Alouni and his family.

Alouni, who rose to prominence during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, is of Syrian origin but is a Spanish citizen.
He narrowly escaped death when US warplanes bombed the Kabul offices of Aljazeera during the closing days of the war to oust the Taliban in November 2001.

High-profile

He was one of Aljazeera’s eight correspondents in Iraq and was expelled by Iraqi authorities during the war.

Alouni worked as a translator during the 1990s for Spain’s EFE news agency.
He later moved with his family to Afghanistan and stayed there until the Taliban were overthrown by the Americans in 2001.
He is currently trying to set up an Aljazeera office in Madrid.