Verdict expected in Spanish terror trial

The Spanish High Court will announce on Monday the fate of 24 suspected Al Qaida militants, including an Al Jazeera reporter, in Europe's biggest terror trial to date.

Investigators have said that Spain, along with Germany was a key staging ground for the suicide airliner strikes that killed 2,973 in 2001.

The key figure in the trial is Syrian-born Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, also known as Abu Dahdah, who is accused of helping the September 11 hijackers plan the attacks on US cities in 2001.

Barakat Yarkas, accused of being Al Qaida's leader in Spain, faces a jail sentence of more than 74,000 years if convicted.

All 24 suspects say they are innocent.

Taysir Alouni, an Al Jazeera television reporter who was arrested in Spain in 2003 for suspected links to terrorism will face 9 years in jail if convicted.

The prosecution says Alouni had an "intense and continuous" relationship with Barakat Yarkas.

Prosecutors accuse him of carrying money intended for Al Qaida members during visits he made to Afghanistan for his journalistic work.

Alouni denies using a posting in Afghanistan to distribute money to Al Qaida.

"The trial is highly politicised and in the full glare of the media. The prosecutor who ordered me re-arrested alleging I would escape never presented any evidence to support his claim," Alouni said the last time he was released due to severe problems with his health.

The judges' verdict will be read out at a high-security courtroom in Madrid in a session due to start at 1.30 pm (1530 UAE).