Madrid , Spain ( CNN ) -- A Pakistani man was arrested in Barcelona for links to a group that allegedly supplied forged passports to terrorists close to al Qaeda , Spanish police said Friday . Suspect , Malik Imtanan Sarwar , 30 , was arrested Thursday . He was missing when police arrested 10 suspects in December -- seven in Barcelona and three in Thailand . The man was part of an alleged ring that stole passports in Spain and sent them to Thailand , police said . The passports were forged in Thailand and supplied to groups linked to al Qaeda , the police statement said.. Sarwar was an active part of the group , both in sending stolen documents to Thailand and in securing funds for the group , the statement said . The alleged leader of the group was a Pakistani man based in Thailand . He allegedly gave orders to other suspects in Europe about the type of passports to be stolen -- including the nationality and age of the passport holder -- so they could be sent to Thailand , forged and later used by terrorists to cross borders more easily in Europe and the West , the statement said . `` This operation has neutralized an important cell that provided passports to al Qaeda , so that the forgery apparatus of this organization is weakened internationally , and also its operational capability , '' the statement said .
The man , 30 , was 39 when police arrested 10 suspects in December . Police : He was part of an international ring that seized passports in Spain and sent them to Thailand . The passports were seized in Thailand and supplied to groups linked to Al Qaeda .