Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / EUROPE
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Tuesday, 21 March 2006, 14:19 GMT

Spain charges 32 over terror plot

Police patrol High Court in Madrid A Spanish judge has charged 32 suspected Islamic militants over an alleged plot to blow up the National Court in Madrid.

The charge sheet - published on Tuesday - included membership of a terrorist organisation, conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and forgery of documents.

Most of the 32 suspects were arrested in late 2004, the Spanish news agency Efe reported.

Madrid suffered train bombings in March 2004 which killed 191 people.

'Martyrs for Morocco'

One of the men charged on Tuesday was the alleged mastermind of the court plot, Mohamed Achraf, the Associated Press news agency says.

Mohamed Achraf

Spanish authorities suspect Mr Achraf, a Moroccan national, of heading the plan to ram the court with a truck laden with 500kg (1,100lbs) of explosives.

No date has ever been given for the planned attack, nor any explosives found.

The Spanish judge delivering the indictment, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said the attack could have killed 900 people.

The court is the base for Spain's anti-terrorist investigations.

Mr Achraf was held on immigration charges in Switzerland in August 2004 and extradited last April.

High-profile Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, who headed the investigation, has alleged Mr Achraf set up the "Martyrs for Morocco" group in 2003 during time he spent in jail in Spain for fraud from 1999 to 2002.

Judge Garzon has said he thought the group had links to those responsible for the Madrid train bombings in 2004.



E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
More 'bomb plot' arrests in Spain (04 Nov 04 |  Europe )
Madrid suspect fights extradition (22 Oct 04 |  Europe )
Spain holds seven terror suspects (09 Dec 05 |  Europe )
Europe moves against radical imams (06 May 04 |  Europe )
Spain arrests 10 terror suspects (23 Nov 05 |  Europe )
Algeria winning from the war on terror (26 Apr 04 |  Africa )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Spanish interior ministry
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©