Pedraz puts Txeroki in dock for Madrid airport attack

On Tuesday morning, Spanish National Court judge Santiago Pedraz concluded his summary of the case involving the 2006 attack on the newly-built Terminal 4 building at Madrid''s Barajas airport in which two people - Carlos Alonso Palate and Diego Armando Estacio, both from Ecuador - were killed. He also tried presumed former military chief of ETA, Garikoitz Aspiazu, known as Txeroki, and four other suspected members of the Elurra commando.

Pedraz subsequently referred the case to the penal court where all five suspects will be tried.

In addition to ''Txeroki'', also standing trial for the attack on Madrid''s new terminal are Mattin Sarasola, Igor Portu, Mikel San Sebastián and Joseba Aranibar, all currently serving provisional sentences.

In accordance with the court decree with which Pedraz was able to order the imprisonment of Sarasola, the suspect stands accused of parking the explosive-filled van in the car-park, while Portu is charged with informing the DYA, newspaper Gara and the Madrid fire service of the impending attack by telephone. ''Txeroki'', who was arrested in November 2008 in France, is accused of ordering the attack in the summer of 2006, just when ETA were in the middle of a ceasefire.