Spanish judge indicts 29 over Madrid bombings

A Spanish judge today handed down the first indictments in the Madrid train bombings of 2004, charging 29 people with murder, terrorism and other crimes after a two-year probe.

The commuter train bombings claimed by Muslim militants killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,700.

The charges were contained in a 1,500-page indictment handed down by Juan del Olmo, an investigating magistrate at the National Court, Spain’s hub for investigating terrorism.

Six of the 29 men were charged with 191 counts of murder and 1,755 counts of attempted murder.

They include Jamal Zougam, a Moroccan who allegedly supplied cell phones used as detonators in the 10 backpack bombs that exploded on four crowded commuter trains on the morning of March 11, 2004.

Five of these six lead suspects are also charged with belonging to a terrorist organisation, while nine other men are accused of collaborating with a terrorist organisation.

The bombings formed Spain’s worst terrorist massacre.