Madrid train bombings judge confirms indictments, clearing way for trial News
Madrid train bombings judge confirms indictments, clearing way for trial

[JURIST] A Spanish National Court judge has confirmed indictments against 29 suspects accused in connection with the March 2004 Madrid train bombings [JURIST news archive] that killed 191 people and injured or wounded almost 2000 others. Judge Juan del Olmo [Europa Press profile, in Spanish] initially handed down the massive charges [JURIST report; PDF text in Spanish, parts 1, 2, 3 and 4] in April subject to appeal. The way is now clear for a trial in the case before a three-judge panel, but no date has yet been set and pretrial motions could take months. BBC News has more.

The disciplinary committee of Spain's General Judicial Council said in June that it would investigate [JURIST report] why Del Olmo failed to apply for an extension of the detainment of one of the suspects, resulting in his release on parole. Del Olmo was said to have been suffering from bad health when he made the mistake not to apply for the extension, and was replaced by another High Court judge soon thereafter. He has said the mistake was due to a typing error.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN General Assembly approves Palestine partition plan

The UN General Assembly approved UN Resolution Resolution 181 (II) on November 29, 1947, recommending that the British Mandate for Palestine be split into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and an international zone for Jerusalem. The vote in the assembly was 33 for to 13 against, with 10 abstentions. The resolution sparked a war between Palestinian Arabs and Jews in 1947 and a wider war after Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon invaded the new State of Israel in 1948. Read Resolution 181 (II).

UN divided Palestine between Arabs and Jews

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab territories, leading to the establishment of a Jewish state the following year. Read UN General Assembly Resolution 181.

Defense Secretary Robert McNamara resigns during Vietnam Conflict

On November 29, 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced that he was resigning from his office to accept an appointment as head of the World Bank. The announcement came as the Vietnam Conflict was becoming increasingly unpopular in the United States and abroad.