(Updates number arrested to 12)

MADRID, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Spanish police said they had arrested 12 suspected Islamist extremists in a series of raids in Barcelona, Madrid and Cadiz on Thursday.

The raids targeted networks suspected of hiding and aiding the escape of al Qaeda members, a police statement said, including some linked to the 2004 Madrid train bombings which killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800.

Earlier this month, the High Court charged 11 Islamist suspects with plotting attacks on public transport in Barcelona. (Reporting by Raquel Castillo and Sonya Dowsett, editing by Mark Trevelyan)

AlertNet news is provided by