Madrid - A Spanish leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network financed terrorist cells from prison, making money transfers worth 2.4 million euros (3.8 million dollars), the daily El Pais said Monday.

Syrian-born Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas alias Abu Dahdah is serving a 12-year prison sentence for belonging to a terrorist organization. He is under constant surveillance by video cameras, and his telephone conversations are taped, according to the daily.

Yarkas and two other Syrian-born Spaniards, one of whom is also in jail, nevertheless opened bank accounts and cashed cheques, moving 2.4 million euros between 2006 and 2007, the report said, quoting information given by the National Court.

The wife of one of Yarkas' two accomplices helped to carry out the financial transactions. The money was believed to have come from companies owned by the accomplices.

The suspects say the money was used for buying company stocks, but the National Court has indicted them with using a part of it for financing terrorist cells.

Yarkas was initially sentenced to 27 years in 2005 for crimes including involvement in the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States. He was acquitted of that charge on appeal, and his sentence was reduced to 12 years.