One of the alleged ringleaders of the March 11 train bombings in Madrid was identified Friday as one of seven suspects who blew themselves up during a police raid on their apartment.
Forensic tests confirmed that Allekema Lamari, an Algerian who Spanish authorities described as “the emir of the train bombings,” was among the dead, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Police searching for suspects in the train bombings raided the apartment in the Madrid district of Leganes on April 3. All seven people inside blew themselves up, killing one police officer and wounding 15 other policemen.
Lamari’s was the last of the bodies to be identified.
Spanish authorities identified the body using saliva samples taken from Lamari’s parents Mohammed and Teldja Lamari, the statement added.
The ministry described Lamiri as one of the ringleaders.
In 1997, he was arrested by Spanish authorities and convicted of belonging to an Algerian extremist group. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison, but was released in 2002 when his sentence was reduced.
He became a prime suspect of the March 11 bombings when his fingerprints were found on a book of Quranic verses found at the Leganes apartment during the investigations led by the National Court. DNA tests on clothes in car that had been used by the alleged bombers also led police to suspect Lamari.
The other suspected terrorists killed in the April suicide blast were identified as: Tunisian Serhane Ben Abdelmajid, Moroccans Jamal Ahmidan, Asri Rifaat, Abdennabi Kounjaa, and Rachid and Oulad Akcha, brothers who were also from Morocco. Officials say several of the seven were ringleaders of the attack.
Another suspect, an Egyptian called Rabei Osman Ahmed who is currently in Italian custody awaiting extradition to Spain, is also suspected of helping mastermind the Madrid train bombings.
The train bombings were the worst terrorist attack in Spain: 10 bombs exploded on four morning rush-hour commuter trains, killing 191 people and injuring more than 2,000. Islamic militants with links to al-Qaida were blamed for the attacks.