Washington ? International counterterrorism authorities are looking for a Moroccan fugitive who may have attended a pivotal meeting with the Sept. 11, 2001, plotters and is believed to have played a logistical role in the train bombings last year in Madrid, Spain.

The fugitive, Amer Azizi, appears to connect a group of terror operatives and may exemplify al-Qaida’s decentralization — a trend about which U.S. intelligence officials have warned.

New information from federal authorities indicates Azizi may have provided lodging to people involved in the backpack bombings of the Spanish commuter trains, according to U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

One of the U.S. officials also said Azizi might have met with two 9-11 plotters — hijacker Mohamed Atta and coordinator Ramzi Binalshibh — in July 2001 in Spain. Investigators are trying to determine Azizi’s involvement in the meeting.

A Spanish judge has indicted Azizi on charges related to the 2001 attacks.

The 2001 meeting is considered an important planning session. Atta and Binalshibh discussed the timing of the attacks, whether to target the White House or other American icons and whether to use box cutters as weapons.

While al-Qaida has taken responsibility for the strikes against the United States, U.S. government officials say the Madrid attack appears to have been carried out by a group that shares al-Qaida’s mind-set.