Spain Lowers Train-Blast Death Toll to 190

MADRID, Spain – Madrid police on Tuesday lowered the death toll from March 11's train bombings from 202 to 190, citing errors in body identification.

Many bodies were torn apart by the ten bombs that exploded on busy commuter trains during the morning rush hour, making an accurate count difficult for investigators.

Thirteen bags of body parts had been thought to contain remains of corpses not yet identified. But DNA tests showed the remains belong to people already included in the toll or to survivors who lost limbs, said Interior Ministry spokesman Richard Ibanez (search).

News reports on Tuesday said Spanish intelligence officials had informed colleagues in Britain, France, Germany and Italy of the identities of suspects in the bombing who may have fled to other European countries.

The intelligence officials gave the list to their counterparts at a meeting held in Madrid on Monday to discuss the bombings, the daily El Mundo reported. Police plan to issue international arrest orders for the suspects soon, the daily ABC reported.

Suspicion over the commuter train bombings has focused on an alleged Morocco-based terrorist cell believed to have links to Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network and on Al Qaeda itself.

Early Tuesday, a judge filed charges against four more suspects, bringing to nine the number charged and jailed pending further investigation. Six of those are Moroccan.

Judge Juan del Olmo (search) charged three Moroccans and a Spaniard with terrorism and mass killings for their alleged participation in the bombings. A fifth suspect, a Moroccan arrested with the others March 18, was released without charges.

The nine who have been charged denied involvement in the attacks. They are being held in solitary confinement without access to family or lawyers.

On Tuesday, one left the courtroom in tears and another said he learned of the attacks on the morning of March 11 while watching cartoons with his children at home, court officials said.

The charges stop short of a formal indictment, but suggest the court has strong evidence against them. They can remain jailed for two years while investigators gather more evidence.

Police arrested four others Monday, all believed to be of North African origin, but these have yet to appear before a judge.

Jose Emilio Suarez (search), a Spaniard accused of providing explosives for the attacks, was charged with 190 counts of murder, 1,430 counts of attempted murder, robbery and collaborating or belonging to a terrorist organization.

Court officials said the latter charge will be specified further as the investigation continues. The figure of 190 cited by the judge had been the number of bodies officially identified.

The judge has clamped a secrecy order on the investigation.

Suarez admitted having supplied the explosives and detonators but told the judge he did not know they were destined to be used in a terrorist attack, the daily El Mundo said.

ABC said he was paid $8,600 and a quantity of hashish for providing 242 pounds of dynamite and detonators.

Police were said to be investigating 50 mines in northern Spain to see if any had reported thefts.

Moroccan Abderrahim Zbakh, who cried as he left the courtroom, was charged with the same offenses as Suarez, except robbery, officials said.

Mohamed El Hadi Chedadi and Abdelouahid Berrak, also Moroccans, were charged with collaborating with or belonging to a terrorist organization.

Berrak said he knows lead suspect Jamal Zougam (search) because they own a barber shop together. Berrak also said he was an acquaintance of Imad Yarkas (search), the accused leader of an alleged Spanish Al Qaeda cell who was arrested in Madrid in November 2001.

News reports only identified one of the four arrested Monday — Moroccan Khaled Oulad Akcha, the brother of Farid Oulad Ali who was freed after questioning by the judge.

Oulad Akcha had been in prison on separate charges since 2001.

Zougam and two other Moroccans have also been jailed on multiple counts of murder, while two Indians have been jailed on charges of collaborating with a terrorist group.

A state funeral for the dead will be held Wednesday at Madrid's Almudena cathedral. Secretary of State Colin Powell, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Britain's Prince Charles and dozens of other dignitaries are expected.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.