New Suspect Arrested in Spain Bombs Probe

MADRID, Spain – Spanish police have arrested a Moroccan-born Spaniard in connection with the Madrid rail bombings (search), a court official said Monday.

Abderrameb Hammadi Afandi, 32, was arrested in Leganes, a small town near Madrid where seven other suspects in the March 11 attacks blew themselves up to avoid arrest on April 3.

He was brought before Judge Juan del Olmo (search), the magistrate handling investigations into the attacks and the one who ordered his arrest.

Authorities gave no details concerning the reason for his arrest or the role he is believed to have played in the attacks.

Islamic militants with suspected ties to Al Qaeda are blamed for the Madrid attacks, which killed 190 people. Fifty-one people have been detained, of which 16, mostly Moroccans, are in jail on provisional charges.

After the Leganes suicide blast, Spanish officials said they believed the core members of the cell responsible for the attacks were either dead or in jail. More recently, however, they have acknowledged that several key suspects remain at large.

In the attacks, 10 backpacks were placed on four morning rush-hour commuter trains, all exploding within minutes of each other.