Spanish police have arrested an Algerian man suspected of looking after the finances of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network.
The Interior Ministry says Ahmed Brahim may have been involved in the financing of the August 1998 US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
They claim he had a close relationship with one of the alleged founding members of al-Qaeda, Mamdouh Mahmud Salim.
Salim is currently in a US prison awaiting trial on conspiracy charges in the bombings, which killed 231 people, including 12 Americans.
Salim is believed to be the highest-ranking al-Qaeda member held in the United States.
Interior Minister Mariano Rajoy described Brahim as "an important member of al-Qaeda in Spain."
He said Brahim was hunted down with the help of US, German and French police after a seven-month investigation.
Brahim's wife, a Finnish citizen identified by his first name Pirjo, denied any relationship between Brahim and Bin Laden's terrorist network.
"My husband has been living in Spain for 15 years and has nothing to do with al-Qaeda," she said.
The Interior Ministry said Brahim was arrested in a raid on his home in Sant Joan Despi, on Saturday night. Police seized his bank accounts, related documents and computer material in his home.