Spanish judge to put bin Laden on trial for 9/11

A controversial Spanish judge today opened the way to put Osama bin Laden on trial for the September 11 terror attacks.

Baltasar Garzon indicted bin Laden and 34 others on charges of terrorism, including the attacks in the United States.

But any trial is likely to be conducted in the renegade Saudi multi-millionaire’s absence. Al-Qaida leader bin Laden has not been seen since the September 11 attacks.

He is believed to be hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan and if captured the US will insist on having first call on him for the 9/11 outrages he is said to have masterminded.

Among the accused in Spain is an Arab news TV star who has interviewed the al-Qaida leader.

In a near 700 page document, investigative magistrate Garzon issued international arrest orders for bin Laden and 17 others. He ratified jailing orders for 11 already in prison in Spain.

Six others, believed to be in Spain, were also indicted.

Spain served “as a place or base for resting, preparation, indoctrinating, support and financing” of al-Qaida, Garzon stated in the ruling.

The list of indicted suspects includes Tayssir Alouni, the Al-Jazeera satellite TV journalist arrested in Spain this month, and Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, who was accused of leading an al-Qaida cell in Spain and arrested in Madrid in November 2001.

Garzon also accuses the suspects of belonging to a terrorist group and other crimes including illegal weapons possession, tax fraud and forgery.

Also indicted is Ramzi Binalshibh, another core leader of the Hamburg cell that helped prepare the attacks. He was arrested in Pakistan in September of last year.

Along with Germany, Spain is known to have been an important staging ground for the September 11 attacks. Accused ringleader and suicide pilot Mohamed Atta visited Spain in July 2001 and is believed to have held a key planning meeting with other participants in the north-eastern Spanish region of Tarragona.

About 40 Islamic extremist suspects have been arrested in Spain since the attacks, although many were released for lack of evidence.

Garzon has been leading the investigation in Spain into alleged members of al-Qaida and other militant Islamic groups.

Garzon had Chilean dictator August Pinochet arrested in London but failed in 1999 to take him to court. Britain ultimately freed the ageing ex-despot on grounds he was unfit to stand trial.

Garzon has also made headlines this month by seeking the extradition to Spain of 40 Argentine men he has indicted for abuses under military rule from 1976-83.

Another of his focuses is Spain’s Basque separatist conflict, in which Garzon has worked to break up commando units of the Basque terror group Eta.