Spanish 74-year-old man who sent explosives to Ukrainian embassy sentenced to 18 years in prison

On Tuesday, July 23, the Supreme Court of Spain sentenced a 74-year-old retired civil servant who in 2022 sent letters containing explosives to the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid and other government offices in the country, Reuters reported.

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The court proved that Pompeyo Gonzalez Pascual sent six packages with homemade explosives to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Defense Minister Margarita Robles, the Ukrainian and US embassies, an air force base, and an arms company.

The man was sentenced to 18 years in prison (10 years for terrorism and another eight for manufacturing explosive devices). He must also pay 1,500 euros in compensation to Mykola Velychko, an employee of the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid who was injured as a result of the explosive detonation.

The court's verdict states that the man acted "with the aim to create a great commotion in Spanish society for it to exercise pressure on the governments of Spain and the United States, other institutions in Spain to stop supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia."

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