Posted on 12/14/2009 12:35:00 PM PST by myknowledge
Spain's anti-terrorism court has convicted 11 men of South Asian origin, mostly Pakistanis, in connection with a plot to stage suicide attacks in the Barcelona metro last year.
The men have received jail terms of between eight and 14 years, a copy of the ruling indicates.
They intended to "carry out a violent attack using explosives against the Barcelona metro, which could have caused many casualties", the court said on Monday.
"The indiscriminate aim is evidence of the terrorist nature of the attacks."
Shaib Iqbal and Qadeer Malik, both born in Pakistan, received the stiffest terms of 14 years and six months for "belonging to a terrorist group" and for "weapons possession".
Maroof Ahmed Mirza, also of Pakistani origin and who the court said was "the leader of the group", was jailed for 10-and-a-half years for "belonging to a terrorist group", while the other eight each received terms of eight-and-a-half years on the same charge.
Ten of the men were arrested in the northeastern city of Barcelona in January 2008 in raids during which police also recovered bomb-making equipment. Another was detained five months later in the Netherlands.
The charges were based on the declarations of an informant who was a member of the suspected Islamist cell and who then became a protected witness.
The court said the cell was inspired by Baitullah Mehsud, leader of a Pakistani Taliban group linked to al-Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
It cited a video interview available on the internet in which the spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban claimed it had planned the Barcelona attacks to protest the presence of Spanish troops in Afghanistan.
"The connection they had with Baitullah Mehsud meant that others, members of the same organisation, were sent to Barcelona from different countries to take part in the action, including with suicide bombers if needed," it said.
Ten of those convicted on Monday are of Pakistani origin, while one, Roshan Jamal Khan, was born in Mumbai, India.
Spanish authorities have stepped up operations against Islamist radicals since the March 11, 2004 al-Qaeda-inspired train bombings in Madrid that killed 191 people and wounded 1,800 others in the country's worst such attack.
The anti-terrorism court in October 2007 convicted 21 people of involvement in the bombings.
Security forces have staged several operations in Barcelona, which has a large Pakistani community.
In May 2007, Spain's high court acquitted 11 Pakistanis of planning extremist attacks in Barcelona, but convicted three of them of collaborating with terrorists and two of falsifying documents.
MUSLIMS
They do. And don't call me Shirley.
I’m still trying to figure out when Asians quit being Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, etc. and started being what used to be Middle Easteners.
"Spain's anti-terrorism court has convicted 11 men of South Asian origin, mostly Pakistanis, in connection with a plot to stage suicide attacks in the Barcelona metro last year.
The men have received jail terms of between eight and 14 years, a copy of the ruling indicates.
They intended to "carry out a violent attack using explosives against the Barcelona metro, which could have caused many casualties", the court said on Monday.
"The indiscriminate aim is evidence of the terrorist nature of the attacks."
Shaib Iqbal and Qadeer Malik, both born in Pakistan, received the stiffest terms of 14 years and six months for "belonging to a terrorist group" and for "weapons possession".
Maroof Ahmed Mirza, also of Pakistani origin and who the court said was "the leader of the group", was jailed for 10-and-a-half years for "belonging to a terrorist group", while the other eight each received terms of eight-and-a-half years on the same charge.
Ten of the men were arrested in the northeastern city of Barcelona in January 2008 in raids during which police also recovered bomb-making equipment. Another was detained five months later in the Netherlands.
SEVEN PARAGRAPHS, and no mention of the Religion of Peace!
Asians?
Try Muslims. Repeat after me, MSM, Muslims, Muslims, MUSLIMS.
The Asians I know are busy holding good jobs and improving themselves.
It’s the European custom of referring to west Asians as Asians and east Asians as Oriental, IIRC.
Kick them all out!
Asians?
Phew! For a minute there I thought it might be hooded youth.
Shouldn't that be Pakistasians?
That’s okay, only in America do we still use the bunk science term “caucasians” for white people.
that was my first thought-”asians my a$$$!!!”
ASIANS?? LOL
Shouldn’t that be Pakistasians?
Funny how in socialist Brit-topia, Asians have deep-rooted, festering, homicidal or suicidal desires, while over here, Asians have good grades and high rates of personal saving.
Honky?
Well, I’ve never been to Europea, and don’t even know where it is, but in my 50 years, I had never heard of Middle Easteners being called Asians until the last few years.
re: “Asians”
a perfectly accurate descriptor, since everyone knows that most jihad terrorists come from Cambodia
</sarcasm>
It’s them South Asian “youts” again. Now wait till their Amish brothers come to help them. Amish youts - the cause of the world’s troubles.
I ain’t your cuzzin’ Vinnie!
I find it funny that we can’t call the native people of America Indians because it was a mistake that the explorers had arrived in India. We also can no longer call people from India Indians either. In Europe, they (like Pakistanis) are called “Asians”.
And I hear that the word “Oriental” is politically incorrect.
I guess we should call much of America “Caucasian” as well. Heck, let’s call the entire human race “Asian” as they have a stake in the “birthplace of the human race” competition.
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