A terrorist suspect alleged to have been involved in the Madrid bombings appeared before a London court on Monday as the Spanish authorities began extradition proceedings.
Moutaz Almallah Dabas, a 39-year-old Spaniard, was arrested at his home in Slough, Berkshire, on Saturday morning on a European extradition warrant, 24 hours after Spanish police swooped on his brother, Mohannad Almallah Dabas, a Syrian national, in Madrid.
The Spanish interior ministry claims the Dabas brothers helped run a flat in Madrid where young al-Qaeda-inspired militants were recruited, and that those directly responsible for the commuter train bombings, which killed 191 people and injured 1 500 last March, attended meetings there.
John Hardy, representing the high court of Madrid, told Bow Street magistrates court on Monday that the extradition warrant for Moutaz Almallah Dabas alleged he ”provided care for radical Islamists in Spain, being a tenant of an address in Madrid where such persons were housed and trained”.
He added: ”In that house, Dabas and others had texts published by Osama bin Laden for distribution, and encouraged those who attended to pledge their affinity to the jihad theories of Osama bin Laden. Among those who assembled at that house were those directly responsible for the Madrid bombings in March 2004.”
A massive investigation has led to 22 people being jailed. Fifty others have been arrested and released but many are still considered suspects.
The Spanish interior ministry believes that among those who attended meetings at the apartment was Serhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, a Tunisian and one of seven prime suspects for the bombings, who killed himself in a suicide blast as police closed in.
The Dabas brothers are also claimed to have links to Basel Ghalyoun, a Syrian convicted in connection with the bombings, and Rabei Osman Ahmed, an Egyptian extradited from Italy to Spain last December and said to be a key figure behind the attacks.
The Spanish authorities say Mohannad Almallah Dabas is also linked to Imad Yarkas, a Syrian-born Spaniard in custody charged with providing financial and logistical support for the September 11 atrocities.
On Monday, Moutaz Almallah Dabas answered only to confirm his name and date of birth and that he did not consent to extradition.
Detective Sergeant Gary Flood, from Scotland Yard’s extradition unit, said his officers had arrested Dabas on Saturday and taken him to Paddington Green police station in central London.
Mark Summers, representing Dabas, questioned whether his client had been brought before the court as soon as practicable.
District Judge Timothy Workman refused bail. Dabas was remanded in custody until a further hearing on March 29, when he will appear via video link. – Guardian Unlimited Â