Five Tunisians were detained on Wednesday (June 12) in Barcelona, accused of distributing online material related to al Qaeda's former leader Osama bin Laden, Spain's interior ministry said.

The five detainees, suspected of the crime of promoting terrorism, had distributed 400 files (videos, photographs and texts) that contained jihadist material, including speeches by the deceased leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, videos of attacks, instructions on making explosives, training exercises, ballistics and summary executions, according to a statement by the interior ministry.

Some of the members of the group appeared to have been radicalised, adopting Salafist views that had intensified over the past month after one of them had travelled to Tunis, according to the statement.

The investigation had been underway for more than a year.

Presented by Adam Justice