Egypt's Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed stands at the Milan court, Italy, November 6, 2006

An Italian court has convicted and sentenced an Egyptian man also wanted in Spain in connection with the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

The court in Milan Monday sentenced Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed to 10 years in prison following conviction on charges of membership in an international terrorist organization. The court gave a second Egyptian defendant Yahya Mawad Mohamed Rajeh a five-year sentence. Italian authorities arrested Ahmed, who was also known as Mohamed the Egyptian, three months after the Madrid bombings.

Prosecutors say Ahmed had close ties to the Madrid bombers. They say he claimed responsibility in recorded conversations for helping plan the commuter train attacks, which killed 191 people and wounded hundreds of others.

Ahmed is set to go on trial early next year in Spain along with 28 other suspects linked to the attacks.

The alleged ringleader in the March 11, 2004 train bombings and six other prime suspects blew themselves up as police closed in on their Madrid apartment.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.