Madrid
Spain sentenced an al Qaida leader to 27 years in prison this week for abetting the 9/11 attacks. Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, 43, a Syrian-born Spanish national, arranged a meeting in Spain in June 2001 between hijacker Mohamed Atta and mastermind Ramzi bin al-Shibh. The terror cell Yarkas led was also believed to have carried out last year’s Madrid train bombings. Seventeen other members of the cell were sentenced to lesser terms. Prosecutors had sought a sentence for Yarkas of 75,000 years—25 years per victim, the maximum sentence for murder in Spain. But the judges found him guilty only of conspiracy to commit murder.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
See the bright lights from these 7 big-city hotelsThe Week Recommends Immerse yourself in culture, history and nightlife
-
Scientists want to regrow human limbs. Salamanders could lead the way.Under the radar Humans may already have the genetic mechanism necessary
-
Seven wild discoveries about animals in 2025In depth Mice have Good Samaritan tendencies and gulls work in gangs
