Spain's Interior Minister says the driver of a speeding train that derailed, killing 78 people, has been detained for "reckless homicide".
Speaking at a news conference in the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela where the accident happened, Jorge Fernandez Diaz said: "He has been detained since 7.40pm on Thursday for the alleged crimes of reckless homicide."
The driver, named by local media as Francisco Jose Garzon Amo (52), was arrested in the hospital where he was recovering after one of Europe's worst rail disasters. He had been under police guard since the crash Wednesday.
Police said he refused to answer their questions on Friday, and the case has been passed to the courts.
The driver will be questioned by a judge on Sunday, the interior minister added.
Under Spanish law, a suspect can be detained for a maximum of 72 hours before being heard by a judge.
"There are reasonable grounds to consider that he may have been responsible for what happened, which must be established by a judge and the investigation which has been opened," Mr Fernandez Diaz said.
The train was said to have been travelling at more than twice the speed limit on a curve when it hurtled off the rails and slammed into a concrete wall, with one carriage leaping up onto a siding.
The grey-haired driver, who reportedly boasted of his love for speed online, has been under police surveillance in hospital since the accident but he was discharged today and taken to a police station.
He reportedly suffered head injuries in the accident that required stitches. Pictures showed him being led away from the scene with blood on his head.
Meanwhile, doctors are continuing to try to identify the last three of the 78 passengers killed in the catastrophe.
There's been outrage in the Spanish press over photos posted on the driver's Facebook page. An old post from the social network shows him boasting about driving his train back in March, at up to 200KM an hour. He said "I was on the limit, I couldn't go faster, otherwise I would get a ticket".
Mr Garzon boasted about speeding on his Facebook page
Three days of official mourning have been declared by Spain's Prime Minister.
CCTV footage has emerged reportedly showing the moment of the crash *Warning: Contains disturbing content*
Meanwhile the Spanish embassy in Dublin has thanked the Irish people for their messages of support after the train crash. In a message posted on Twitter the embassy said it was grateful for all the sympathy expressed and thanked Ireland for its solidarity.
Authorities will begin releasing the names of victims this morning. No passenger list available as yet&no indication of Irish casualties.
— IrelandEmbassyMadrid (@IrlEmbMadrid) July 25, 2013
A spokesman for the rail company says they will know what speed the train was traveling at once they consult the black box of the train.
The region where the crash took place has declared 7 days of mourning, while the nation will mourn for 3 days.
These witnesses describe what they saw:
