11-M bomb suspect ejected from court

One of the 29 people being tried for the Islamist train bombings in Madrid in 2004 was ejected from court today after he struck…

One of the 29 people being tried for the Islamist train bombings in Madrid in 2004 was ejected from court today after he struck another of the accused in the dock.

Rafa Zouhier, accused of being the link between the bombers and former miners who provided explosives for the attack, has already been reprimanded by the presiding judge for using over-colourful language and making rude gestures in court.

"Once again, it's Zouhier," Judge Javier Gomez Bermudez said after a quick recess.

Zouhier, a Moroccan former stripper, elbowed Hamid Ahmidan in the glass box which separates suspects who are held in custody during the trial from the rest of the court.

READ MORE

Ahmidan is the cousin of Jamal Ahmidan, known as "El Chino", who is thought to be the ringleader of the March 11 attacks and was one of seven prime suspects who committed suicide in an apartment block afterwards.

The state attorney has asked for Zouhier to be jailed for 20 years for his part in the bombings, which killed 191 people. Prosecutors say the bombers had links to al-Qaeda.