MADRID, April 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Spanish police captured on Friday 12 Arabs in connection with the bloody Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people, the Interior Ministry said.

    About 150 police agents participated in Operation Saeta, which started at 5:30 a.m. (0330 GMT), and arrested six Moroccans, three Syrians, one Egyptian, one Algerian and one Palestinian in Madrid and its suburbs.

    The new detainees are not suspected of carrying out the Madrid attacks but of taking part in preparations months before the March11, 2004 bombings of four commuter trains.

    The Interior Ministry said four of the detainees had close links to Youssef Belhadj, presumed spokesman in Europe for Islamist network al-Qaida who was handed over Friday by Belgium to Spain.

    Four Moroccans are brothers: Mhamed Haddad, 41; Driss, 26, Hassan, 28, and Mohamed, 30. The other Moroccan brothers captured were Abdelkrim Lebchina, 30, and Abdenbi Lebchina, 35.

    Mahamad Suleyman, 45, and Samir Suleyman, 31, also brothers, were born in Jeser of Syria. The former was arrested on General Aranda Street, and the latter, on Berdaguer Garcia Street.

    Egyptian Mustafa Mohamed Rizk, 30, was also arrested on Berdaguer Garcia Street.

    Mahamad Tiazounie, 33, of Syrian origin but born in Rome, Italy, was captured in Paracuellos del Jarama.

    Algerian Omar Salwa, 29, and Palestinian Mohamed Kafarna, 30, were also arrested in the raid, one of the biggest since the Madrid bombing attacks. Enditem