Madrid blasts: Cops arrest 5 more

The international investigation of the Madrid terror bombings made progress today, with Spanish police arresting five suspects and presentin...

The international investigation of the Madrid terror bombings made progress today, with Spanish police arresting five suspects and presenting five others to a judge.

Authorities in Morocco, meanwhile, rounded up associates of a key detainee, Jamal Zougam, with alleged Al Qaeda ties. The arrests brought the total number of suspects in custody to 11 as Spain marked a week since the bombings terrorised the city.

The death toll from the attacks rose to 202 after health officials announced the death of a 22-year-old Peruvian woman who was injured in the attacks. That equals the number of people killed in the suicide bombings in Bali in October 2002.

At least three of the new suspects are Moroccan nationals, said a Moroccan official. Three were arrested in or near Alcala De Henares, a town outside Madrid where three of four trains bombed March 11 originated, court officials said in Madrid.

Of the two other suspects, one was arrested in Oviedo in Northern Spain. Police believe the suspect may have played a direct role in the bombings and might also have been involved in suicide attacks in Casablanca, Morocco, that killed 33 people and 12 bombers in May 2003, said radio station Cadena Ser.

There were few details available about the fifth new suspect. The news agency Efe said he was of North African origin. The arrests came late yesterday and today, court officials said.

Interior Minister Angel Acebes said the 8216;8216;investigation is advancing8217;8217; but would not comment on the latest arrests. 8216;8216;This is a time for caution,8217;8217; he said at a news conference to announce that the government is releasing intelligence reports about the attacks.

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Spanish law enforcement agencies were aware of Zougam8217;s alleged links to Osama bin Laden8217;s Al Qaeda terror network since at least 2001, when they searched his Madrid apartment. They found videos, including one that contained a Laden interview, and phone numbers for suspected Al Qaeda members.