Madrid bombing suspect extradited

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A leading suspect in the 2004 Madrid train bombings has been temporarily extradited from Italy to Spain.

Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed, a 35-year-old Egyptian, is described by Spanish investigators as one of the organisers of the attack, which killed 191 people.

He is one of 29 suspects due to stand trial in February in Spain for their alleged role in the bombings.

Ahmed was jailed for 10 years in Italy earlier this month ago for having links to terror cells in Europe and Iraq.

He is alleged to have spent 18 months in Spain before the Madrid bombings, sharing his knowledge of explosives with other key suspects.

Appeal pending

Ahmed, also known as "Mohammed the Egyptian", was arrested in Italy two years ago after Italian police recorded conversations in which he allegedly said the attack was his idea.

Ahmed is one of 21 people due to stand trial over the Madrid attack

"It's my work. The project took a lot of studying and a lot of patience. It took me two-and-a-half years," he said, in a transcript read at his Milan trial.

Police believed he was planning another attack at the time of his arrest.

Italy's foreign ministry described his transfer to Madrid as a "temporary extradition" carried out at the request of a Spanish court, Reuters news agency reports.

The ministry said Ahmed would have to return to Italy, where he has an appeal pending against his conviction.

Before he was sentenced in Milan, Ahmed described his trial as "a political case against Islam". He had denied the charges.