Madrid, Spain, Aug 28, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Spanish police arrested a man Wednesday in Barcelona who is suspected of having faxed a message in the name of Al Qaeda to the Spanish daily ABC threatening terrorist attacks against the Vatican.
The man, identified only by the initials “J.R.,” left false clues that pointed to the provincial government in the region of Catalonia as the origin of the fax. Police said that was a tactic to deflect attention.
Officials also said the man was attempting to portray himself as a representative of Al Qaeda, but police appeared skeptical about the connection.