Suspected terrorist extradited to Spain
Switzerland has extradited to Spain the suspected mastermind of a plot to blow up a Madrid tribunal.
Spanish police took Mohamed Achraf into custody in Zurich a week after his appeal to the Swiss Federal Court against his extradition was rejected.
Justice Ministry spokesman Folco Galli said the alleged terrorist flew on Friday afternoon to Madrid under the escort of three Spanish police officers. Achraf arrived handcuffed in the Spanish capital shortly before 4pm.
The extradition went ahead after the Federal Court rejected his contention that he would be in physical danger should he be sent to Spain. The Federal Justice Office had already approved the transfer in January.
Achraf had been in detention in Switzerland since October 21. But he had been in Swiss hands since August 2004, after being arrested for theft and immigration violations. He was awaiting deportation when the Spanish media revealed his alleged terrorist links.
“The Spanish authorities suspect him of being a directing member of a radical Islamic cell and to have prepared with other people an explosive attack against a court in Madrid,” said Galli.
The Spanish believe that Achraf planned to ram a truck loaded with 500 kilogrammes of explosives into the National Court, which is a hub of anti-terror investigations.
Other possible targets in the Spanish capital for the group included Real Madrid’s soccer stadium and a political party’s headquarters, according to Spanish investigating judge Baltasar Garzon.
Controversy
Achraf is believed to be Algerian, but travelled under several fake identities.
He was kept in Swiss custody pending trial in connection with attack preparations that might have taken place in Switzerland, Swiss officials said. According to leaked intelligence reports, he was also planning a series of robberies in Switzerland to fund an attack on the Madrid court.
However, the authorities decided priority should be given to Spanish criminal proceedings.
Garzon accuses Achraf of setting up a cell known as the “Martyrs for Morocco” while he served time in a Spanish prison for credit card fraud between 1999 and 2002.
More than 30 people, mostly Algerians and Moroccans, have been provisionally charged and jailed over the alleged plot since it was uncovered last October.
The Swiss police has faced severe criticism over their failure to investigate Achraf’s alleged terrorist connections while holding him in a minimum-security detention centre in Zurich after his arrest last summer.
After an application for asylum was rejected in 2003, he is believed to have gone underground, travelling out of Switzerland on several occasions. He reportedly went to Spain with a suitcase of cash to recruit members for his group a month before his arrest in August 2004.
swissinfo with agencies
Timeline:
August 28, 2004: Achraf is arrested by Swiss police and transferred to a detention centre at Zurich airport.
October 19, 2004: Spanish police name Achraf as suspect in alleged plot to bomb the National Court in Madrid.
October 21, 2004: Swiss Federal Prosecutor opens investigation into Achraf’s alleged links to “terrorist activities”.
April 13, 2005: Swiss Federal Court announces it has rejected Achraf’s appeal against his extradition to Spain.
April 22, 2005: Achraf is extradited to Spain.
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