Key Madrid bombing suspect appears at trial in Italy

An alleged ringleader of the March 2004 Madrid bombings appeared in a Milan court today at the scheduled start of his trial on charges of international terrorism and plotting another attack in an undisclosed location.

Handcuffed and dressed in white robes and a skullcap, Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed was escorted by police into the courtroom and placed in a cage off to the side of the room. The start of the hearing, though, was delayed because Ahmed’s lawyer hadn’t shown up.