Spain bomb warning ‘was ignored’

SPANISH intelligence agents warned police last November that an Algerian who has been identified as a ringleader of the Madrid train bombings was preparing an attack, a newspaper claimed yesterday.

El Pais said the agents had asked the Interior Ministry for urgent help in locating the suspect, Allekema Lamari, who had served jail time in Spain on terrorism charges and was considered dangerous.

However, the report, which quoted sources close to Spain’s National Intelligence Centre, added that the ministry did not heed the warning.