Letter bomb suspect sought to end Spain's support for Ukraine - judge

A 74-year-old Spanish man arrested over a spate of letter bombs sent to institutions including the prime minister's office and the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid in late 2022 sought to pressure Spain to drop its support for Ukraine, an investigating magistrate said on Friday.

The man, Pompeyo Gonzalez Pascual, is under formal investigation over possible aggravated terrorism charges, the magistrate said during his first court hearing, according to the court documents released on Friday.

The suspect used Russian messaging apps such as VK and the Swiss end-to-end encrypted email service Protonmail, which could indicate a risk of him fleeing to Russia, the magistrate added.

He also purchased some of the materials used to make the devices on Amazon, the documents from the closed hearing showed.

"There is no indication that the person under investigation belongs to or collaborates with any terrorist gang or organised group," the statement said.

The man was ordered to be detained pending any formal charges and further hearings.