Spain 'bomb plot' trial disrupted

Mohamed Achraf is accused of plotting bombings from prison

A Spanish judge temporarily suspended the Madrid trial of 30 suspected Islamic militants after they protested about their treatment in prison.

The trial - which opened on Monday - resumed after about 30 minutes, once police had restored order.

The men are accused of plotting to blow up Spain's High Court, where they are now on trial, and some other targets.

The alleged plot was uncovered months after the March 2004 train bombings in the capital, which killed 200 people.

The defendants - mainly Moroccans and Algerians - have denied the charges.

They all stood up in court in support of one of their number who complained of maltreatment in prison.

Judge Alfonso Guevara said the protest showed they were acting as a group, telling them "someone gave an order for the others to stand up".

Plotted from prison

Prosecutors say the men planned to drive a truck packed with 500kg (1100lb) of explosives into Spain's High Court.

The idea was to kill hundreds of staff and destroy evidence connected with anti-terrorist trials, including the March 2004 Madrid train bombings, prosecutors allege.

The alleged plot involved driving a truck bomb into Madrid's High Court

According to the Spanish authorities, the group's other targets included a major train station and the headquarters of the conservative Popular Party.

The charges include conspiracy to commit murder and membership of an armed group. The key suspects could face prison terms of at least 10 years.

Prosecutors say the group's leader, Mohamed Achraf - also known by the alias Abderrahman Tahiri - plotted the attacks from his prison cell.

He is accused of organising terrorist cells known as the Martyrs of Morocco to carry out his schemes.

The trial opened two weeks before sentences are announced in one of the biggest terrorist trials in Spanish history.

The men accused of involvement in the Madrid train bombings are due to appear in court on 31 October to hear the judges' verdict.