Latest News

Spanish court sentences 74-year-old parcel bomb author to long prison term

Spain's High Court sentenced a 74yearold retired civil servant to 18 years in jail on Tuesday for terrorismrelated offenses after discovering him guilty of sending out a number of parcel bombs in 2022 targeting government and diplomatic offices.

Pompeyo Gonzalez Pascual was jailed in January 2023 after sending 6 parcels with homemade dynamites dealt with to Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Defence Minister Margarita Robles, the embassies of Ukraine and the United States in Madrid, a flying force base and a weapons producer in late 2022.

Most were pacified, although a security employee at the Ukrainian embassy was slightly injured when one detonated.

A judge had released Gonzalez Pascual, who lived in Miranda del Ebro in northern Spain, on bail in April 2023 mentioning his age and his absence of a criminal record.

Now, the court sentenced him to 10 years in prison for terrorism and an additional 8 years for manufacturing explosive gadgets for that purpose, the judgment stated. Gonzalez was also sentenced to pay 1,500 euros ($ 1,627.65) in damages to the injured Ukrainian embassy official Mykola Velychko.

It said Gonzalez Pascual had acted with the aim to develop a. excellent commotion in Spanish society for it to work out pressure. on the federal governments of Spain and the United States, other. institutions in Spain to stop supporting Ukraine in the war. versus Russia.

The court is still due to buy his jailing in a separate,. though automatic, action. Gonzalez can appeal the sentence.

The Spanish federal government has actually been adamant in its assistance of. Ukraine and has actually considering that shipped tanks and other weapons to Kyiv.

During the investigation, cops discovered traces of DNA. matching Gonzalez's on the explosive devices. Records supplied. by online seller Amazon revealed Gonzalez had bought. precursor products for dynamites in June and July 2022.

(source: Reuters)