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Bombers go on hunger strike
02/11/2007 17:24 - (SA)
Madrid - Ten of the 21 people convicted over the 2004 Madrid bombings, including two of those who received the heaviest sentences, have gone on hunger strike, a prison service spokesperson said on Friday.
The prisoners launched their protest against the length of their sentences handed down on Wednesday, said a spokesperson.
Those taking part include Moroccans Jamal Zougam and Othman el-Gnaoui, who were each sentenced to more than 40 000 years in prison, although under Spanish law the maximum they can spend behind bars is 40 years.
The strikers said the sentences were "unjust", the Spanish daily El Pais reported on Friday.
Zougam placed explosives aboard one of the four targeted trains, while el-Gnaoui transported the explosives.
The 21 people convicted on Wednesday have been sent to a number of different jails across Spain.
While six of the hunger strikers are in Villena d'Alicante prison in southeast Spain, the other four are held in prisons in the Madrid area.
During the four-month trial, all the accused had proclaimed their innocence and denied having any link to radical Islam or Al-Qaeda.
The string of 10 bombs exploded on commuter trains on March 11 2004, leaving bodies and limbs scattered on railway tracks. A total of 191 people from 13 countries were killed and 1 841 others injured.
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