A Long Awaited Sentence

The March Bombings

We all probably remember that fateful day on the 11th of March 2004 when murderous terrorists set off ten bombs simultaneously on four different commuter trains in Madrid. A total of 191 people were killed from 17 different countries. The responsibility for the bombing was claimed by the Basque - also known as the ETA. Later investigations concluded that the bombings were organized by a Al Qaeda inspired cell. This was one of the first examples of non-Muslim terrorists cooperating with international Islamists. Many political theorists claim that the aftermath of the poor handling of the case (rather than the attack itself) probably brought about the fall of the Aznar administration in the following elections.

The Judgement

Recently, The Audiencia Nacional of Spain passed judgement after 21 months of debating and investigating. They have concluded that a mixed Islamic cell which included two Spanish police informers was responsible for the attacks. While the cell had no direct relation to Al Qaeda, it was certainly Al Qaeda inspired. This was one of the first examples of non-Muslim terrorists cooperating with international Islamists. Of the 29 people charged, 28 were found guilty of various charges ranging from murder to forgery crimes. Two were sentenced to 40,000 years in prison (This effectively translates into 40 years which is the maximum possible in the Spanish court). Despite the verdict there is still a lot of controversy about the affair. Many claim that various political parties had a hand in influencing the verdict for their own reasons.