October 31, 2007

Spanish Court Convicts 21 & Acquits 7 In Madrid Bombing Case

The outcome of the trial of 28 defendants accused of being involved in the 2004 Madrid train bombings, the worst terrorist attack by Islamic radicals in Europe's history, offered a mixed bag of convictions, sentences and acquittals that left prosecutors and victims with less than they had hoped for.

Three of the eight primary suspects in the case received the highest conviction of mass murder. While Emilio Suarez Trashorras, Jamal Zougam and Othman el-Gnaoui were each sentenced to 40,000 years in prison, the maximum time they can serve under Spanish law is just 40 years.

Eighteen other suspects, including four of the main defendants, were convicted of lesser charges, such as belonging to a terrorist organization (the bombings were attributed to al-Qaida) or arms trafficking, and were served with shorter sentences of three to 18 years in prison.

None of the defendants, who were mostly young Muslim men of Moroccan and Spanish descent, were found guilty of plotting the attacks, which killed 191 people and injured about 1,800 in March 2004. All of them maintained their innocence and claimed no connection to al-Qaida throughout the investigation and trial.

Reuters reports that survivors of the bombings and relatives of those who died expressed outrage at the acquittals and the length of prison terms for those convicted. "I have waited three years, and now? Now what?" said a shaken Isabel Presa, whose youngest son was killed in the blast. Victims' groups are planning to appeal the decision.

Some of the most vocal outcries are stemming from the acquittal of Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed, also known as "Mohammed the Egyptian," who is believed to be one of the masterminds behind the attack. He was cleared of all charges in the case but is currently serving time for unrelated terrorism charges in Italy.

"We're very surprised by the acquittal," victim's group spokesman Jose Maria de Pablos told Reuters, expressing dismay at the lack of any convictions on conspiracy charges. "If it wasn't them, we have to find out who it was. Somebody gave the order."

Agence France-Presse, the London Guardian and the International Herald Tribune have more details on the verdicts.

The Guardian also has profiles of all the defendants updated with their sentences and a timeline of the attacks and their aftermath. Newsweek and the Economist parse the political implications of the trial's outcome.

Posted at 2:53 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Spain, Terrorism
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