These days, the Metropolitan police and security services were investigating links between a prime suspect in the Madrid bombings and Islamist extremists in London.

According to intelligence sources, Mohammed al-Gerbouzi, an alleged leader of a radical Islamist group from Morocco which has been connected to last week's Madrid bombings and suicide attacks in Casablanca last May is living in Britain.

Mr al-Gerbouzi is one of the main suspects in the Madrid bombings. He is also widely reported to be one of the leaders of the Group of Islamic Combatants of Morocco. He is now a British citizen.

Actually, the intelligence source says it is very natural that there are some links between those suspected of putting the Madrid bombings and individual Britain because the international networks of al- Qaida is really wide.

Whitehall sources said, however, Britain has not been presented with sufficient evidence that he was involved in the Casablanca or Madrid bombings.

Two other groups, the Eternal Lions and the Moroccan Combatants are also named as suspect. Lists of the names of the members are circulated around Europe.

Spain Police is now hunting 24 militant Moroccan Islamists belonging to the Eternal Lions who are suspected to be involved in last week's Madrid train bombing.

The men are all believed to be part of a group who fled Morocco after the Casablanca bombings to Spain, France and elsewhere. This is a very alarming message to European countries.

In addition, intelligence officers believe that Jamal Zougam, arrested by Spanish police in connection with the bombings, has contacts with a number of individuals of North African origin who are at large in the UK.

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Victims sit on the tracks just outside Madrid's Atocha station as they are tended by rescue workers following one of a series of deadly explosions March 11, 2004. Spain's interior minister said a suspect van had been found on Thursday near Madrid, scene of bombings that killed 190 people, containing seven detonators and a tape in Arabic language. Interior Minister Angel Acebes said the tape had recordings of verses from the Koran. (Pablo Torres Guerrero-El Pais/Reuters)
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