Key terror suspect to stand trial in Italy
An Italian judge today ordered an Egyptian man believed to be a key figure in last year’s train bombings in Madrid to stand trial on separate terror charges in Italy, the suspect’s lawyer said.
Rabei Osman Ahmed was charged with planning an attack in an undisclosed location, said his lawyer Viviana Bossi. The trial is scheduled to begin on October 18 in Milan.
Osman Ahmed was arrested in Milan last June on an international warrant issued by Spanish authorities, after police overheard him allegedly boasting that he was the mastermind of the Madrid train bombings in which 191 people died and was planning another attack. He was extradited to Spain, where he stayed four months for questioning before being returned to Italy.
Spanish authorities say Osman Ahmed, considered an explosives expert, was a key figure in al-Qaida’s structure in Europe.
Italian investigators monitored Osman Ahmed’s conversations for weeks before arresting him, and continue to watch him while he was in custody. In the wiretaps, the Egyptian allegedly spoke of his efforts to recruit suicide bombers and the importance of martyrdom.
Also indicted today was Yahia Payumi, a Palestinian who was arrested with Osman Ahmed in Milan.
Ahmed has denied any wrongdoing, according to his lawyer. He says that some of the words that were attributed to him are quotations from the Quran.
