Spanish police bust fake credit card crime ring, arrest 19

MADRID – Spanish police say they have busted a crime ring that cloned credit cards and was headed by a man who had previously been found guilty of helping finance the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Police said Saturday they have arrested 19 people, including a 49-year-old Algerian man who had served a prison sentence in Spain for using cloned credit cards to help fund the 2001 attacks in the U.S. Police would not reveal the name of the individual.

All 19 suspected members of the ring were arrested in Madrid.

The group spent 500,000 euros (569,000 dollars) on the fake credit cards it made by cloning authentic cards before the ring was broken up, according to police.