Italy hands Madrid bombing suspect over to Spain

A Muslim militant charged as a key suspect in the 2004 Madrid terror bombings was today turned over to Spain by Italy, where he has been convicted of terrorism, police said.

Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed, a 35-year-old Egyptian, is described by Spanish investigators as one of the organisers of the March 11, 2004 bombings that killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,700 in a string of bomb blasts on the southern Madrid commuter rail network.

Ahmed was arrested in Milan in June 2004 after Italian police intercepted phone conversations in which he claimed to have organised the Madrid bombings.

During the phone calls, Ahmed allegedly said “(the attack) was all my idea” and “those who died in the bombings were martyrs and my beloved brothers,” according to transcripts published by Italian news outlets.

Italian police believed he was planning another attack at the time of his arrest, possibly in France or Belgium.

After Ahmed’s arrest, Spanish National Court Judge Juan del Olmo asked Italian officials to extradite the suspect to Spain.

Last week, a Milan court found Ahmed guilty of subversive association aimed at international terrorism and sentenced him to 10 years jail.

The Madrid bombings trial is expected to begin in February. Ahmed is one of 29 people who will stand trial.

If he is convicted in Spain, he would first be sent back to Italy to serve his jail term before serving the Spanish one, police said.