One of the four suspects detained after last week’s terror attacks in Catalonia was released Thursday pending further investigation.
However, Salah El Karib has been ordered to appear in court every Monday, according to a document from Spain’s National Court sent to CNN. He also had to hand over his passport and has been banned from leaving Spain.
The Catalan police had detained Karib because his credit card was used to buy airline tickets for two of the suspected terrorists, Driss Oukabir and Abdelbaki Es Satty.
The judge considered that Karib’s explanation that he had bought the tickets at the request of Driss’ brother, Moussa Oukabir, was credible and matched evidence that investigators were able to obtain, the document said.
Two more suspects allegedly connected to the terror cell behind the attacks in Spain were formally charged Tuesday amid reports the group was planning to target landmarks in Barcelona.
Mohamed Houli Chemlal and Driss Oukabir were charged at a preliminary hearing at Madrid’s High Court with membership of a terrorist organization, murder and explosives possession. Chemlal told a judge the group was preparing bombs to attack “monuments” in the Catalan city, state broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE reported.
Karib and a fourth man arrested in connection with the attacks, Mohamed Aalla, also appeared in court that day. Aalla was released and has to appear in court every Monday, a court document said.
Satty was an imam who died in a house explosion in Alcanar last Wednesday night, Spanish authorities said, hours before one of the attackers plowed a van into pedestrians in the heart of Barcelona, killing 13 and injuring more than 100.
Younes Abouyaaqoub, the suspected driver of that van, was shot dead by police on Monday after a days-long manhunt. He was also accused of killing a man as he hijacked a vehicle to escape the attack scene.
A 15th victim died when a vehicle mowed down pedestrians early Friday in Cambrils. The five assailants in the car were shot dead by police at the scene.
Catalan police said Thursday that the remains of a second person found in the ruins of the Alcanar house had now been identified using DNA testing but did not reveal who the person was.