Juvenile jailed for Madrid Bombings

A 16-year-old Spaniard was sentenced to six years in a juvenile detention centre yesterday after he pleaded guilty to charges he helped steal and transport the dynamite used in the March 11 Madrid train bombings. It was the first trial arising from the bombings which killed 191 people and wounded 1'900, the most devastating attack in modern Spanish history. the juvenile - identified only by his initials G.M. because he is a minor made only a short appearance in the armoured basement courtroom in Madrid's High Court building. The trial had been moved from the juvenile court for security reasons. Judge Jose Maria Vazquez Honrubia asked the defendant if he agreed with the charges and the six-year term proposed by the prosecutor. He replied simply: “Yes.” The judge then sentenced him to six years in a juvenile detention centre followed by five more years of supervision. The public was separated from the court by bullet-proof glass. The suspect, with his mother sitting next to him, was hidden from view by a screen.