[JURIST] Spain's National Court will announce verdicts and sentences for the 28 defendants in the 2004 Madrid train bombing case [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] on October 31, a court spokesperson said Wednesday. The 28 defendants [BBC backgrounder], mostly of Moroccan descent, were charged with 192 counts of murder and upwards of 1,800 counts of attempted murder related to the March 11, 2004 bombings.

Prosecutors are seeking jail sentences for eight suspected ringleaders of nearly 39,000 years each [JURIST report], although the maximum time they could serve under Spanish law is 40 years. The defendants have all protested their innocence and condemned the attacks. Reuters has more.