Spain's National Court Wednesday began the trial of the prime suspects alleged to have been involved in the March 11 bombings of commuter trains in Madrid.

The principal suspect, Hassan El Haskia from Morocco, was charged with 191 counts of murder and at least 1,000 counts of attempted murder.

El Haskia, 41, is alleged to head a European terrorist network known as the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (MICG) and of being one of the masterminds behind the Madrid commuter train attacks, National Court judge Juan del Olmo said.

Haski had admitted he knew the bombings would take place on March 11, Del Olmo said.

The bombings were carried out in retaliation for the previous conservative Spanish government's support for the US-led invasion of Iraq, the judge said, citing a classified report from Spanish police.

Haski and three other Moroccan suspects were arrested Friday on Lanzarote, one of Spain's Canary Islands, after Spanish police received a tip-off from French intelligence.

Haski once received terrorist training in Afghanistan while the MICG is believed to be part of the extremist Jihad Salafist Movement and to be linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network, police said.

On March 11, four commuter trains in Madrid were hit by powerful explosions almost simultaneously, killing 191 people and injuring more than 1,500.

Spanish police have since launched massive crackdowns on suspected terrorists linked to al-Qaida. More than 110 suspects connected to the attacks have so far been arrested.

The bombings drastically changed Spain's political landscape. In the general election held three days after the bombings, the Socialists won a surprise victory over Jose Maria Aznar's Popular Party on a wave of anti-American sentiments. The Socialist government withdrew Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq on taking office.

Source: Xinhua