Spanish police have arrested a Syrian-born businessman whom they say is a major financier of al-Qaida terrorist attacks, including the September 11th attacks on the United States. 

Police in Madrid said in a statement that they arrested Muhammed Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi Tuesday. He is also known as "Abu Talha." 

The statement alleges Mr. Zouaydi runs a construction and real estate business in Spain that funded Osama bin Laden's network by sending huge amounts of cash to Islamic radicals in several countries. 

They include Belgium, China, Jordan, the Palestinian areas, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and the United Stases. 

Among the recipients of Mr. Zouaydi's funds was Mohammed Atta, one of the terrorists who flew a hijacked jet into the World Trade Center in New York on September 11. 

Mr. Zouaydi is the second accused al-Qaida terrorist Spanish police have arrested this month. 

They picked-up Ahmed Brahim outside Barcelona April 13. He is accused of helping finance the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people. 

Spain, which has battled armed Basque separatists for more than 30 years, has made fighting terrorism a priority. It has arrested more than 20 al-Qaida suspects since September 11. 

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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