Mourning Spain Probes All Leads

Mourning Spain probes all leads
Fri 12 March, 2004 15:54

By Andrew Cawthorne

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain has vowed to follow all leads to hunt down the Madrid train bombers as the world waits to see whether Basque or Muslim militants were behind the bloodiest guerrilla attack on a European city.

Two days before a general election that he insisted would go ahead as planned, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar defended his initial accusation that Spain's Basque separatists ETA killed 198 commuters and wounded nearly 1,500.

But fears Islamists linked to al Qaeda might have had a hand in Thursday's coordinated blitz put security forces on alert across Europe and beyond.

Link: http://www.reuters.co.uk/news.jhtml?type=sport&sporttype=golf

Since this is now the main thread, it should be up on top.

Shared threads:

Terrorism Experts Say Jury Out On Queda Role
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x417841

Attacks Could Sway Spanish Poll
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x417834

Madrid Detonators Not Commonly Used By ETA
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x417830

I think that's it...

Edit: Added links

(I posted this earlier in the day but as I was typing the thread was locked so it kind of got killed!)

One of the several hats I wear is consulting on risk and security issues with individuals and corporations. One thing you learn pretty quick in that line of work is to look at behavior and identify patterns and anomalies.

ETA's history of attacks doesn't have anything like this in it. Their usual attack is a car bomb or remote controlled device to assasinate a politician, police officer, policeman, or government figure. In other words, their attacks are usually more focused on individuals or at least individuals from a particular group, i.e. what they consider the government in Madrid.

This attack is anomalous in comparison to their history of operations. They have never shown the level of coordination or determination evident in a multiple device operation like this one, and while civilians have died in their attacks, none have been as as obviously indiscriminant as this one. This was not an ETA style attack: This was an attack meant to punish Spain and all Spanish people whether they identify as Basque, Catalan, or Spanish.

The pieces of peripheral evidence are starting to point to someone other than ETA as well. There are several compelling reasons to believe it could be an al-Qaeda affiliated group: Spain allied with us in the war on terror and invasion of Iraq; Spain has a violent group that could take the fall for the bombings (ETA), sowing more confusion as authorities might crack down on the wrong people, thus creating more internal dissent and violence; Spain is easily accessed geographically from North Africa where there are known networks of militant Islamist organizations affiliated with al-Qaeda; Madrid made an easy, vulnerable, message target to those who would ally themselves with the U.S.: You too can be hit.

Time will tell. My thoughts are with the Spanish people this weekend.

Your consideration and attention to details is appreciated! I thought this one was locked too, so thanks again.

I want to know chemically if this dynamite is from the same batch that was found from an earlier foiled attempt. It is not unthinkable to believe that Al Queda may have used similar explosives/methods.

Additionally If ETA was foiled in a planed attack on the rail system in December why haven't Spanish authorities been busy tracking down and questioning known associates of the ETA members arrested in December? It is highly likely that the same group is involved.

The dynamite needs to be investigated to in regards to ETA and the suspect van needs to be investigated in regards to Al Queda.

I also hope that the "real" terrorist criminals are revealed.

I watched some coverage of the masses flooding the streets. I noted a distinct tone: peace and "no more violence". It made me feel that "the people" hold more wisdom and sense about what is necessary to create a better world than the vast majority or world leaders. Power to "the people"!!!

nt

The primary suspect is the primary beneficiary. Unfortunately, they are also in charge of the investigation.

because they would have picked something that had more resonance with the American public, the way they had the World Trade Center years before.

Now, instead of being able to mourn this tragedy, I'm wondering whether the Al Qaeda link is real or bogus, or if the ETA link is real or bogus, or if some CIA spook did it to make it look like Al Qaeda did it, or if some CIA-financed spook did to make look like Al Qaeda did it, or if one of the Bush Regime's non-CIA spooks did it to make it look like Al Qaeda did it...

:headbang:
rocknation