2 suspects in Spain attacks held without bail

Associated Press

MADRID

A judge ordered two of the four surviving suspects in the extremist attacks in Spain held without bail, another detained for 72 more hours and one freed with restrictions Tuesday after the men appeared in court to answer questions about the events that killed 15 people.

National Court Judge Fernando Andreu issued his orders after quizzing the four about the vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, as well as about the fatal explosion at a bomb-making workshop that police said scuttled the group’s plot to carry out a more deadly attack at unspecified Barcelona monuments.

The judge said there was enough evidence to hold Mohamed Houli Chemlal, 21, and Driss Oukabir, 28, on preliminary charges of causing homicides and injuries of a terrorist nature and of belonging to a terrorism organization. Houli Chemlal also has an additional charge of dealing with explosives.

However, the judge ruled the evidence was “not solid enough” to keep holding suspect Mohamed Aalla, who was freed on the conditions he appear in court weekly, relinquish his passport and not leave Spain.

The owner of a cybercafe in Ripoll, the Pyrenees hometown to most of 12 men originally identified as being members of the extremist cell behind the attacks, will remain in custody for at least 72 more hours while police inquiries continue, the judge said.

The questioning the four men underwent during their initial court appearances provided new details about the scope of the cell’s activities and the events leading up to the attacks in and around Barcelona on Thursday and early Friday.