What is the US media saying about the Madrid atrocity?

I was stunned when my (admittedly right-leaning) mom in the US explained to me that the media was saying the Madrid attacks are "probably al Qaeda." The latest information here in Europe shows it was likely ETA (a Basque seperatist group).

The bombs were of a type virtually identical to those seized from ETA members who tried to bomb another station on the same line in Madrid over Christmas. The bomb chemicals were the same. The attacks were very similar to prior ones (but with more deadly consequences).

Is it really an article of faith in the US media that only al Qaeda is a possibility? If so, yikes.

:eyes:

CNN has reported about the van found with detonators and Arabic language tapes. The detonators were unlike any known to be used by ETA. They have also reported the letter sent in to an Arab news service by a presumed Al Qaeda group claiming responsibility.

They have also duly reported that the investigation is ongoing. They have mentioned what you said about the explosives and about ETA's penchant for terrorist acts close to election time.

The focus seems to be on looking at commuter train safety here in the US. Everyone concludes that the same thing can easily happen here. No one has pinned blame on either group yet.

Madrid detonators not commonly used by ETA - report
Fri 12 March, 2004 15:04

MADRID (Reuters) - Rucksack bombs used in deadly Madrid train bombings were set off by mobile phone and contained copper detonators, which are not generally used by armed Basque separatist group ETA, a radio station has reported.

Cadena Ser radio station quoted security sources as saying the bombs, which blew up on four trains killing 198 people, were activated by mobile telephones which had had their alarms set for 7:39 a.m. (6:39 British time) on Thursday.

The detonator in an unexploded bomb recovered by police contained a copper detonator whereas the detonators commonly used by ETA are made of aluminium, the report said on Friday.

The Interior Ministry could not immediately confirm the report.

of terrorism going back decades, yet somehow failed to report two prior instances of ETA trying to bomb train stations in Spain in just the last three months.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x417148

Someone in the U.S. must have something to gain by the "ad campaign" being waged for a quick judgment on who is at fault.

analyst who said that it was too soon to tell who was responsible. I felt the reporting, however, was leaning toward an Al Qaeda attack, due to the stolen truck parked near the subway station as well as the "Koranic" audio tape found in the truck. The impression I had from this report was that this type of attack was not typical of ETA,due to the type of detonators used but there was a "first time for everything." So the reporting was quite confusing, in my opinion. I was left bewildered.

on edit---I cannot spell today.

return to Al Queda, to the point where the interviewer began asking pointed questions indicating that it could be, in fact, ETA. The MI6 "expert" continually tried to explain away all of the facts supporting an ETA attack, to the point where he was forced to say that "there is a first time for everything."

It seemed that both interviewer and interviewee had their own agenda, therefore my brow was furrowed as to what was really going on.

. . . is leaving open the AQ possibility, but the evidence so far all points to an ETA attack.

The van is suspected of being a plant, possibly by ETA, to divert attention. Apparently the tape found in it was a video that can be purchased in Muslim book and video stores across Europe.

The fact that ETA bombers were arrested with the same bombs, trying to bomb another station, is pretty damning, IMO.

Is Bush trying to make hay politically over this? I saw some clip where he mispronounced ETA (as "Eeee-Teeee-Ayyy" rather than "Etah"), and then proceeded to go on and on about AQ.

This will boost him domestically in the USA if it turns out to be AQ or a similar group, but it will screw him internationally. If the attacks are "blowback" from the Iraq war, the situation for Bush's backers in Spain, Italy and the UK will get uncomfortable pretty quickly.