Investigators Believe Alleged Plot Tied To Asian Quake Relief

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- British investigators believe some of the money raised to help victims of last year's earthquake in Pakistan may have been used to fund last week's alleged plot to blow up jetliners over the Atlantic.

In a separate development, another man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the alleged plot to use liquid explosives to blow up planes, bringing the number in custody to 24, according to London's Metropolitan Police.

Britain's Home Secretary John Reid is to host a meeting with a number of European Union interior ministers on Wednesday in London to talk about how last week's foiled plot will affect airline security and anti-terror policies across the continent.

Reid is also expected to urge closer cooperation between nations to deal with the increasing danger.

A U.S. government official said Tuesday that money trails have been a "major help" in several probes. (Watch tracking the money trail -- 1:53)

The official said the money was collected by a front group for the Pakistani charity Jamaat al-Dawat, which supports Islamic militants. A spokesman for the group has denied the allegations.

The funds are believed to have come from the group's network in Britain, and was not sent from Pakistan, British and U.S. investigators said.

The U.S. official also said it was his understanding that the charity being investigated by the British is a front for Jamaat al-Dawat, previously known as Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Jamaat al-Dawat provided aid and relief camps for victims of the October 8 earthquake that killed more than 73,000 in northwest Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.

The United States deems Jamaat al-Dawat to be a terrorist organization because it is considered a successor to Lashkar-e-Taiba, labeled a terrorist group by the United States, Pakistan and India.

Lord Nasir Ahmed, a leader among British Pakistanis and a member of Britain's Parliament, told CNN that at least four of the alleged plotters traveled to Pakistan, telling their families they were going to help the quake victims.

When questioned, the relatives denied that any members of their families had links to any extremist group, Ahmed said

Source CNN