 The trial of 24 people — Europe's biggest court case against radical groups with alleged ties to Osama bin Laden's network — ended Tuesday and the three-panel judge prepared to begin deliberations. Seven of the accused, including the alleged leader Imad Yarkas, said they were innocent and condemned terrorism on the last day of the trial. Yarkas, a Syrian-born Spaniard, called the Spanish cell "an invention."
| It all depends on your definition of "terrorism," of course... |
The prosecution is seeking prison terms of more than 74,000 years each for Yarkas and two other suspects. Under Spanish law, the maximum time they could serve on a terrorism conviction is 40 years. Spain has no death penalty or life imprisonment. Last week, the chief prosecutor, Pedro Rubira, said a long sentence was the best way to fight Islamic terror, not by invading countries and setting up detention camps.
| It's my opinion that standing them up against a wall and shooting them would do the trick, especially if the rest of them knew that they were going to face the very same thing. But I'm just a dumb hillbilly, not a sophisticated European... |
His comments were a thinly veiled criticism of the U.S. war on terror. "The world will be watching when you issue a sentence," he told the three-judge panel on June 27. "Be aware that what you do not only affects Spain but affects the whole world."
| Certainly draws my attention to the fact that Spain has neither the death penalty nor a life sentence. Nobody gets time off for good behavior when they're dead, and only in Haiti do they manage to escape from the grave. You can hold as many hostages as you want, and you're still not going to spring a corpse... |
The 21 other suspects are accused of terrorism and other offenses, but not of planning for Sept. 11. They face sentences of nine to 21 years if convicted. Yarkas's attorney, Jacobo Teijelo, said Spain had presented no evidence against his client other than wiretapped conversations.
| And his own words aren't enough? |
Teijelo argued specifically that the prosecution had not explained how Yarkas is alleged to have arranged a July 2001 meeting in Spain for two key Sept. 11 figures — the main charge against Yarkas. A verdict is expected in September. |