Judge in Spain takes statements from terror suspects
By the CNN Wire Staff
August 3, 2012 — Updated 1751 GMT (0151 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The case has been called one of Spain’s largest operations against al Qaeda
- One suspect is Turkish, and the other two are thought to be of Russian-Chechen origin
- The statements were made at Spain’s National Court
- Police sources say the men had gathered enough explosives to “blow up a bus”
(CNN) — A judge at the Spanish National Court took statements Friday from three men who may have been plotting terrorist attacks on British and U.S. targets, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman said.
Judge Pablo Ruz has not yet decided whether to prosecute the defendants, a court spokesman said.
Two of the men were arrested Wednesday and the third Thursday. The case has been called one of Spain’s largest operations against al Qaeda, Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said.
The investigation is now focusing on finding the explosives that the three suspects may have hidden, police sources say. Spanish police were searching a construction company in Gibraltar.
Possible plot to attack US base in Spain
The Interior Ministry said the men were “ready to act in Spain and Europe.” One of the men is Turkish, and the other two are believed to be of Russian-Chechen origin. Police sources said they had gathered enough explosives to “blow up a bus.”
Rivera released the initials of the three suspects. The Turkish national is identified as C.Y., and the others are A.A.A. and M.A.
The two men arrested Wednesday were on a bus traveling to France when police detained them, and Diaz said they “resisted fiercely.” Police sources said they were stopped in Almuradiel, a town about midway between Madrid and the country’s southern coast.
The third was held in the province of Cadiz on Spain’s southern coast.
Authorities think France may have been the first target of the cell because suspects were traveling there. Spanish and French intelligence officials are still analyzing the laptop and documents located in the apartment of the Turkish suspect in San Roque, Cadiz.
The investigation is in its early stages, but Spanish security services have said that the men were most likely plotting to attack the joint U.S.-Spanish naval base at Rota or British interests in Gibraltar, according to Fernando Reinares, a senior international terrorism analyst at The Elcano Royal Institute in Madrid who was briefed by Spanish security services on the investigation.
Journalist Javier Ruiz contributed to this report
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