Statewatch News Online: Spain: 11-M judge charges 29 suspects

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Spain: 11-M judge charges 29 suspects

Judge Juan del Olmo of the Audiencia Nacional (the Madrid-based court that has exclusive competence for terrorist offences), who is investigating the terrorist attacks on trains in Madrid on 11 March 2004, has filed a 1,460-page summary detailing his findings and the charges to be brought against 29 suspects. Two material authors will be charged with 191 terrorist murders, 1,755 attempted murders and four offences for the extensive damage caused, which could result in sentences of over 32,000 years, 40 of which would be served in prison.

A Spanish former miner who supplied the explosive used in the attacks in exchange for drugs will also be charged as providing "necessary cooperation". Three will be charged of leadership or membership of a terrorist organisation and, overall, nine suspects will be charged for membership of a terrorist organisation, twelve for cooperating with a terrorist organisation and a group of Spanish suspects are set to be tried in relation to the trafficking, transport and supply of explosives.

The judge reportedly dismissed any kind of involvement by ETA in the attacks (the Partido Popular has yet to admit its error in blaming the Basque separatists for the attack), and noted that the attack was carried out by a cell that constitutes a "terrorist organisation rooted in our country per se", an appendix of the Al Qaida macro-terrorist network, "which completely lacks an organisation, issuing murderous orders for people who are willing to carry them out".

Sources:

El País, 12.4.2006.
Full-text of the judge's report and charges (html, in Spanish, link to El País)
http://www.elpais.es/static/especiales/2006/auto11M/elpais_auto.html?numpag=1



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