Spain arrests five more suspects in bombings

Death toll reaches 202

? Police arrested five more people in the Madrid train bombings as the death toll rose Thursday to 202, making the blasts — along with the 2002 Bali nightclub blasts — the worst terrorist strike since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

The arrests brought to 11 the total suspects in Spanish custody and came as the country marked a week since the bombings that shocked Europe, led to a stunning election defeat for the government and roiled Madrid’s relations with the United States.

In Morocco, police also rounded up associates of Jamal Zougam, a key suspect in the train bombings with alleged al-Qaida ties.

The death of a 22-year-old Peruvian woman increased the toll in the attacks to 202 — the same number killed by bombings in October 2002 in Bali, Indonesia. Nearly 3,000 people died in the9-11 attacks carried out by Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network.

The latest arrests added to suspicions Moroccan extremists linked to Islamic terrorism were behind the Madrid bombings. At least three of the five suspects arrested Wednesday and Thursday are Moroccan nationals, according to a Moroccan official.

Spanish authorities sought to extend the detention of five other suspects, including Zougam, who were arrested Saturday. Zougam and the others — two Moroccans and two Indians — were being questioned Thursday at a Madrid court by Judge Juan del Olmo.

Del Olmo’s options are to jail them pending further investigation — which would suggest there is strong evidence against them — free them on bail or with other restrictions, or release them altogether.

The suspects can be held for two years without a formal indictment while more evidence is gathered. This period can be extended for two more years.

In Morocco, police were rounding up Zougam’s associates for questioning, said a Moroccan official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.