MADRID (AFP) - The Islamist extremist group Al-Qaeda ordered attacks on Europe in a May 29 Internet message that the Spanish secret service forwarded to their British counterparts at the weekend, a Spanish newspaper reported.

The Spanish national intelligence centre (CNI) sent a copy of the Arabic-language message -- signed by "Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades -- European division" -- on Saturday to the British intelligence service MI5, and it was also published Saturday by the daily El Mundo.

The message, entitled "Letter to Mujahedeen in Europe", states in part: "We now call on the mujahedeen around the world to launch the expected attack".

The Spanish secret service has been examining the statements of the European division of Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, named after an Al-Qaeda leader who was killed in Afghanistan, since the Madrid bombings, the newspaper said.