The four men arrested over last week’s terror attacks in Spain have appeared in the country’s High Court in Madrid.
Driss Oukabir, Mohammed Allaa, Sahal El Karib and Mohammed Houli Chemlal were all detained last week over their alleged role in the attack on Barcelona and Cambrils which left 15 people dead and 130 wounded.
They are the only surviving members of an alleged terror cell of 12 said to have been behind the attacks, the other eight either died before the incidents or were shot dead by police.
Arrested: Driss Oukabir, left, and Mohamed Houli Chemlal are taken to the Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid for the first hearing on Tuesday
Taken away: Salah El Karib, 34, and Mohamed Aallaa, 27, were detained last week over their alleged role in the attack on Barcelona and Cambrils which left 15 dead and 130 wounded
All four men are from the town of Ripoll, north of Barcelona, where the majority of those connected to the terror attacks lived.
Oukabir, whose passport was found in the van that careered down Las Ramblas, looked distressed as he was taken to court this morning.
Houli Chemlal, who was arrested after being pulled from the wreckage of the cell’s alleged ‘bomb factory’ which exploded last Wednesday, appeared to still be wearing a hospital pyjamas and bandages.
They appear in court as Moroccan police have arrested one person and are investigating three others in connection with the terror attacks, La Vanguardia reports.
The four include the parents of one of those in custody, and Nourine Oukabir, the cousin of brothers Driss and Moussa. The latter was one of the five shot dead by police at Cambrils.
The newspaper reports that Nourine Oukabir, despite living in Morocco, had been seen with members of the alleged terrorist cell in a bar in Ripoll for a meeting that ‘lasted hours’.
Accused: Oukabir, 28, looked distressed, while El Karib simply stared at the ground as police officers took them to be transported to court on Tuesday morning
Houli Chemlal, who was arrested after being pulled from the wreckage of the cell’s alleged ‘bomb factory’, appeared to still be wearing a hospital pyjamas and bandages
The four arrested are the only surviving members of an alleged cell of 12 said to have been behind the attacks, the others either died before the incidents or were shot dead by police
At Tuesday’s closed-door hearing at the Audiencia Nacional, Judge Fernando Andreu will read out charges against the men expected to include counts of terrorism, murder and weapons possession.
The accused will then be asked if they wish to testify, in which case Judge Andreu will question them.
It is likely that the suspects being remanded in custody while the judge conducts an investigation, meaning that it can take months or even years before a trial is organised.
The men will be brought before a judge at the Audiencia Nacional, Spain highest court, where they will have a chance to give an initial statement, Spanish meida reports
Oukabir, 28, handed himself over to police in the town on Thursday after being named by police as the suspected van driver that killed 13 on Las Ramblas.
He insists he is innocent, and that his younger brother Moussa stole his identity documents in order to rent the vehicle, which is where police obtained his name.
Officers now say the van driver was actually Younes Abouyaaquob, who was shot dead on Monday night in Subirats.
Moussa was one of five people killed by police during the attack on Cambrils on Friday which left one dead and 16 hurt.
Also under arrest is Mohammed Allaa whose car was used to ram pedestrians in the Cambrils attack.
One of his brothers, Youssef Allaa, died in an explosion at a suspected bomb factory in Alcanar on Wednesday, while another, Said Allaa, was killed in Cambrils.
Under arrest is Driss Oukabir (left), who handed himself over to police after his documents were used to rent the van used in the Barcelona attack. Mohammed Houli Chemlal (right) was arrested after being pulled from the rubble of a suspected bomb factory in Alcanar
Mohamed Aallaa (left) was arrested after his car was used in the Cambrils attack in which one of his brothers was shot dead. Sahel el Kaib is the owner of an internet cafe in Ripoll, where the majority of the alleged attackers lived
Four men arrested over the terror attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils have arrived in Madrid as they prepare to face court for the first time
Mohammed Houli Chemlal, who police allege was the group’s bomb-maker, was pulled alive from the rubble of that blast before being arrested.
Sahal El Karib is the owner of an internet cafe in Ripoll and his exact connection to the terror cell is unclear.
Also among the dead is imam Abdelbaki Es Satty, who preached at the mosque in Ripoll and is believed to have radicalised the other men and masterminded the plot.
Police confirmed on Monday that he was killed in the Alcanar blast.
The remaining three men – brothers Omar and Mohamed Hychami and Houssaine Abouyaaqoub, the brother of van driver Younes, were all killed in Cambrils.
Investigators say all members of the terror cell have now been accounted for, though their probe into the attacks will remain open.