MADRID, Spain—Judges acquitted 20 Islamic terror suspects of the most serious charges in an alleged plot to blow up a court, but convicted them Wednesday of lesser offenses, reports said.
The National Court found 18 of the 20 suspects guilty of belonging to a terrorist organization, and two others of collaborating in the alleged plot revealed in late 2004, the news agencies Europa Press and Efe said.
The court refused to confirm the reports, which also said another 10 suspects were acquitted of all charges, but said it would make an announcement later Wednesday.
The trial began in October of last year and concluded in January.
The three-judge panel at the National Court said prosecutors failed to substantiate their main accusation that the suspects plotted to destroy the court with a suicide bombing, the reports said.
The National Court is Spain's hub for investigating terrorism cases.
However, the judges said the 20 suspects -- many who were in jail when police learned of the alleged plot through an informant -- created Islamic terror cells and tried to recruit people for them, the reports said.
When police announced they had foiled the plot in late 2004, the news was particularly alarming for Spain because the country was still reeling from the Madrid commuter train bombings in March of that year.
The massacre by Islamic militants killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800.
