A Spanish judge has charged a 74-year-old man suspected of sending several package bombs aimed at government, diplomatic and defense facilities in late 2022 with two counts of aggravated terrorism.
This was reported by the Reuters agency with reference to court documents.
Pompeo González Pascual was arrested in January after sending six packages of improvised explosive devices between November 24 and December 2 of last year to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Defense Minister Margarita Robles, the Ukrainian and US embassies in Madrid, the military - air base and weapons manufacturer.
Most of the ammunition was defused, although an employee of the security service of the Ukrainian embassy was slightly injured when one of them detonated.
Investigating judge Jose Luis Calama, speaking at Madrid's High Court, said both charges of terrorism and making explosive devices for terrorist purposes were justified, even though there was no evidence that Gonzalez belonged to or conspired with an organized terrorist group.
They were justified due to the nature and context of the acts, the use of explosive devices, as well as its political motives - such as public order violations and forcing the government to stop supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia, Kalama added.
Both crimes were classified as felonies with aggravating circumstances because the two parcels were addressed to high-ranking government officials, Sánchez and Robles.
In April, a judge granted Gonzalez bail, citing his age, no criminal record and the fact that the evidence-gathering phase of the investigation was over.
His passport was confiscated and he was forbidden to leave the country. He is also obliged to appear weekly at the nearest court and to constantly inform the judge of his whereabouts.
Gonzalez is a retired former civil servant living in Miranda del Ebro in the northern province of Burgos.
During the investigation, police found traces of DNA on the explosive devices that matched Gonzalez's DNA.
Records provided by the online retailer Amazon showed that Gonzalez purchased explosives precursors, copper wires, duct tape and lettering templates in June and July 2022.
After the terrorist attack in Spain, the embassies in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia, Italy, the consulates general in Naples and Krakow, as well as the consulate in Brno received bloody packages. The bags contained animal eyes, and the bags themselves were soaked in a liquid of a characteristic color and had a corresponding smell.
