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| Last word: Of the 28 accused bombers in the March 2004 Madrid train attacks, 21 were found guilty by Spain's National Court
on Wednesday. Paco Campos/Reuters |
Deep divisions over Madrid verdict
Some victims' families feel jilted by high court's decision Wednesday on the March 2004 train attack.
from the November 1, 2007 edition
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Two weeks after the attack, seven of the suspected terrorists blew themselves up in a suburban apartment. Today, the court confirmed that those seven were "material authors" of the attack and that they constituted a "jihadist cell."
Of the three lead suspects, Jamal Zougam was convicted of being a material author, Othman Gnaoui was convicted of being a right-hand man to the operational chief, and Emilio Suaréz Trashorros was condemned for his role in stealing dynamite used in the attack.
Prosecutors had also demanded nearly 39,000 years for Hassan el-Haski, charging him with being the suspected head in Europe of the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group, and fleeing Spain a few days before the attacks. But Mr. Haski received only 15 years. Seven of those on trial today – one suspect had already been exculpated – were absolved altogether.
Minutes after the verdict was concluded, Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy released a statement that leaves the door open to more questions that could shape debate ahead of national elections slated for March 2008. "The accused have been condemned as intellectual authors" of the attacks, he said, adding that his party would support another investigation.
Leaders of the Popular Party have advanced conspiracy theories that implicated the Basque separatist group ETA in the bombings, and accused the government of covering up related evidence. Some charge that misleading statements about who was responsible for the attacks was a factor in the Socialist victory.
The court firmly rejected any link with the Basque terrorist group. After explaining why the evidence pointed to a single jihadist cell, lead judge Javier Gómez Bermudez was clear: "There is no proof that points to ETA."
As they crowded into the basement of a courtroom Wednesday to await the verdict, emotions among the family members of the victims ran high. Tears came easily, as did anger when some learned that there wasn't room for all of them in the courtroom. Victims' rights activist Pilar Manjon, whose son was killed, tried to animate her colleagues. "We're going to await this sentence with joy," she told the room to applause. "This is our verdict."
But after the sentencing, several of the victims' family members expressed exhaustion as it appeared political battles over the bombings would continue. "It's not about reprisals or revenge," says Jesus Ramirez, vice president of the Association of Those Affected by March 11. "It's about the fact that Spanish society needs resolution. The verdict wasn't sufficiently clear." His organization will appeal the ruling.
Associated Press material was used in this report.
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