Terrorists attack in Madrid - March 11, 2004

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

the thing is that you really CAN'T deal with terrorism at the present time.
all you do is for the future (changin mentality, caring less about the rest of the world ...)
theonly thing we can do, is be aware, look around, and check people at airports and all.

i thought about another solution. kinda strong and facist b, but yeah well.

what about making religion Illegal.
if you make religion illegal in your country, the religious terrorists won't be able to plan actions and recruit their people in the country you know.
it will slow things down.

u just ask that at the border :
" do you believe in god ? "
" yes "
"ok, bye bye sir"

 

but one day, the "developped" countries will get so tired of taking care these mid-east countries issues  (like israel, palestine and all ) ... that they 'll just leave them alone to thei problems..... maybe that'll stop terrorism.

cause all the reasons we have from the al quaida are related to a problem like that : iraq, israel, afganistan ....
they were just countries that were "helped" by the USA of some other country ....
so... i guess we have to leave them alone .....

[axls_locomotive]

MSNBC is reporting now that Spain has "backed down" from terrorism. That they have buckled under the attack. That Americans don't take it sitting down like Spain is. Fuckin' unreal. Some nerve Joe Scarborough has (he's making a big deal out of the latest election). When people say shit like this, it's no wonder people hate our ass.

Fairweather friends as always...just about calling the Spanish cowards..cant say im surprised...what you going to do now? make fun of the Spanish like you did the French? Ban Spanish goods maybe?

[sandman]

RIP


Well, it's good to see invading Iraq made the world a safer place.  Served as a strong deterrent to "terror" and all.

i disagree 100%.

you can't live in fear and let the terrorists dictate how governments handle world affairs.

there were plenty of terrorist bombings before the iraq invasion, and there's no way of knowing whether there would be more or less attacks if there was not a war against terrorists.

That's a two way street, as there is no way of knowing that invading Iraq prevented future terrorism either.

i don't disagree. but being passive and not puting up a fight against the terrorists is a dangerous precident. if the world continues to back down and live in fear, the terrorists can and will control the world.

that's not an exaggeration - they could control the entire fucking world.

[axls_locomotive]

RIP


Well, it's good to see invading Iraq made the world a safer place.  Served as a strong deterrent to "terror" and all.

i disagree 100%.

you can't live in fear and let the terrorists dictate how governments handle world affairs.

there were plenty of terrorist bombings before the iraq invasion, and there's no way of knowing whether there would be more or less attacks if there was not a war against terrorists.

That's a two way street, as there is no way of knowing that invading Iraq prevented future terrorism either.

i don't disagree. but being passive and not puting up a fight against the terrorists is a dangerous precident. if the world continues to back down and live in fear, the terrorists can and will control the world.

that's not an exaggeration - they could control the entire fucking world.

based on what evidence? do you have sources?

there have been around 3500 deaths from terrorism in the US over a 10 year period starting in 1993

over the same period in the US over 300,000 people died in road related deaths

the chances of being a victim of a terrorist attack currently are the same as the chances of being struck by lightning

im not saying that that wont change though but currently it isnt much of a threat

[Ignatius]

i don't disagree. but being passive and not puting up a fight against the terrorists is a dangerous precident. if the world continues to back down and live in fear, the terrorists can and will control the world.

that's not an exaggeration - they could control the entire fucking world.

Being passive? Aren't we are getting ahead of ourselves here people? Spain has just suffered their biggest attack of its history and just because we are not bombing a third world country it doesn't mean we are being passive about it.

Spain has had its major share of terrorism over the past 40 years. ETA, basque separatist group, has killed over 800 people in this country so we know how to deal with terror. It's has been a long road, but we've put many terrorsits in prision over ther past 20 years. France authorities have worked in conjuction with us to prevent terrorism ( there's no way to stop it) and we've realized the best way to prevent terrorism is investigation and cooperation.

There's always going to be terrorism as long as the world exsits. It really doesn't matter how many people you killed or how many countries you bomb to prevent it. Terrorism, unfortunately, won't ever die. There are multiple ways of dealing with it though. Some ( the americans) believe going into war may be a good way to erradicate terror, others ( Spain, most european countries) believe in investigation and other procedures. I'm not saying which system is better, it is just different. Besides, Spain doesn't have the military power America has so, we have to find other alternatives.

Spain has backed-down from terrorism? Never. That will never happen.

On a site note. George Bush called Zapatero ( the newly elected spanish president) after Zapatero's victory on sunday night. Both presidents agreed to work together in order to prevent and erradicate terrorism.

[sandman]

i don't disagree. but being passive and not puting up a fight against the terrorists is a dangerous precident. if the world continues to back down and live in fear, the terrorists can and will control the world.

that's not an exaggeration - they could control the entire fucking world.

Being passive? Aren't we are getting ahead of ourselves here people? Spain has just suffered their biggest attack of its history and just because we are not bombing a third world country it doesn't mean we are being passive about it.

Spain has had its major share of terrorism over the past 40 years. ETA, basque separatist group, has killed over 800 people in this country so we know how to deal with terror. It's has been a long road, but we've put many terrorsits in prision over ther past 20 years. France authorities have worked in conjuction with us to prevent terrorism ( there's no way to stop it) and we've realized the best way to prevent terrorism is investigation and cooperation.

There's always going to be terrorism as long as the world exsits. It really doesn't matter how many people you killed or how many countries you bomb to prevent it. Terrorism, unfortunately, won't ever die. There are multiple ways of dealing with it though. Some ( the americans) believe going into war may be a good way to erradicate terror, others ( Spain, most european countries) believe in investigation and other procedures. I'm not saying which system is better, it is just different. Besides, Spain doesn't have the military power America has so, we have to find other alternatives.

Spain has backed-down from terrorism? Never. That will never happen.

On a site note. George Bush called Zapatero ( the newly elected spanish president) after Zapatero's victory on sunday night. Both presidents agreed to work together in order to prevent and erradicate terrorism.

good points, i agree with you.

but right now the terrorists feel they controled the election. that's dangerous.

spain's government is not being passive, nor did i suggest it is or will be. but the people of spain handed the terrorists a major victory.

[SLCPUNK]

MSNBC is reporting now that Spain has "backed down" from terrorism. That they have buckled under the attack. That Americans don't take it sitting down like Spain is. Fuckin' unreal. Some nerve Joe Scarborough has (he's making a big deal out of the latest election). When people say shit like this, it's no wonder people hate our ass.

Fairweather friends as always...just about calling the Spanish cowards..cant say im surprised...what you going to do now? make fun of the Spanish like you did the French? Ban Spanish goods maybe?

It's embarassing to see a "newsman" say "Americans aren't going to take it sitting down, like the Spanish". That's fucked up and disrespectful to those who died and their families.

[Rain]

i don't disagree. but being passive and not puting up a fight against the terrorists is a dangerous precident. if the world continues to back down and live in fear, the terrorists can and will control the world.

that's not an exaggeration - they could control the entire fucking world.

Being passive? Aren't we are getting ahead of ourselves here people? Spain has just suffered their biggest attack of its history and just because we are not bombing a third world country it doesn't mean we are being passive about it.

Spain has had its major share of terrorism over the past 40 years. ETA, basque separatist group, has killed over 800 people in this country so we know how to deal with terror. It's has been a long road, but we've put many terrorsits in prision over ther past 20 years. France authorities have worked in conjuction with us to prevent terrorism ( there's no way to stop it) and we've realized the best way to prevent terrorism is investigation and cooperation.

There's always going to be terrorism as long as the world exsits. It really doesn't matter how many people you killed or how many countries you bomb to prevent it. Terrorism, unfortunately, won't ever die. There are multiple ways of dealing with it though. Some ( the americans) believe going into war may be a good way to erradicate terror, others ( Spain, most european countries) believe in investigation and other procedures. I'm not saying which system is better, it is just different. Besides, Spain doesn't have the military power America has so, we have to find other alternatives.

Spain has backed-down from terrorism? Never. That will never happen.

On a site note. George Bush called Zapatero ( the newly elected spanish president) after Zapatero's victory on sunday night. Both presidents agreed to work together in order to prevent and erradicate terrorism.

good points, i agree with you.

but right now the terrorists feel they controled the election. that's dangerous.

spain's government is not being passive, nor did i suggest it is or will be. but the people of spain handed the terrorists a major victory.

Why ? Because they voted against someone who kept lying for two days ? ...  
An election is give a chance to people to have their voice heard ! That's what the spanish did !  

[Ignatius]

Why ? Because they voted against someone who kept lying for two days ? ...  
An election is give a chance to people to have their voice heard ! That's what the spanish did !  

Correct. But Sandman's post makes sense as well.

Spanish people feel the now former govertment is responsible for the 200 deaths occured march 11th. Why? Because Spain ( the Govertment, not people) has supported US in going into war since day one. Had not supported the US, we would've not lost 200 people. It makes sense, it's logical.

People undecided, or people who didn't have any intentions to vote, they did for the left wing party so we could start all over again. The difference was not that big, 44% - 41%. A left party supporter will never vote a right wing party and viceversa. In the States, a democratic will never vote republican and viceversa. The elections are won by the votes of undecided people or those who never or rarely vote. Take last US elections for example, there were decided by just a couple of thousand votes in Florida. A country with 250 Million people...A year later, after Sept 11th and Bush's response to the attacks, he would've probably kick any democratic candidate ass at that point because people in America wanted responses and manily, wanted to go into war.

Spain is no different than the States. Our citizens want some answers and action taken, but instead of following America's direction ( which may or may not be the right path to follow) spanish people decide to take their own path.

So, who's responsible for the attacks anyway? Well, I don't blame the Spanish former Goverment, I don't blame the US ( there are some people who blame the US for going into war..), I don't blame this fucked up world....I blame fucking Al Qaida for these attacks. It amazes me how forgetful people may seem to be. Who is responsible for the 200 deads in Madrid? and almost 3,000 in the US? Fucking Al Qaida. Not the US govt, not the spanish govt, not the Irak war....I may not agree with the way the US have handled terrorism after Sept 11th, but I'm not going to blame America for dragging our ass out of the  cave to go into war with them. Our govt made a choice, and that was to stick by the US side. We were not forced to anything. We had a choice.

So, what's gonna happen now? Spanish troops will leave Irak June 30th. That does not mean we are going to back down from fighting against terrorism. It means, our new leader, may have a different strategy to prevent it. It doesn't mean that we are not in good terms with America. It means we may have a different approach to prevent Spain and the rest of the world from terrorism.

The saddest things about terrorism and Al-Qaida is that they seem to be much more organized than the rest of the world. They seem to have a goal and the planned ahead to reach it. They joined forces if the have to and write out the best fucking way to hurt us, the civilize world. Us, on the other hand, we can't seem to agree on anything and they are taking advantage. They will always win as long as each nation goes into war or fights terror on their own.

We have to join forces people. We have to create a world wide organization to defeat terror. Currently, we have America and the UK leading the rest of the world into something not even half of the population agrees/believes.

Our goal seems to be the same, to stop terrorism. Well, let's not discredit any alternatives to do so. There has to be other alternatives to prevent terrorism. Why does it have to be so compliacted?

Let's sit down and talk. That is the first step....

[Ignatius]

MSNBC is reporting now that Spain has "backed down" from terrorism. That they have buckled under the attack. That Americans don't take it sitting down like Spain is. Fuckin' unreal. Some nerve Joe Scarborough has (he's making a big deal out of the latest election). When people say shit like this, it's no wonder people hate our ass.

Fairweather friends as always...just about calling the Spanish cowards..cant say im surprised...what you going to do now? make fun of the Spanish like you did the French? Ban Spanish goods maybe?

It's embarassing to see a "newsman" say "Americans aren't going to take it sitting down, like the Spanish". That's fucked up and disrespectful to those who died and their families.

Yeah I agree...prob what he doesn't know is that we have chosen another alternative. Sometimes americans ( and please don't take this the wrong way- I know you are american...) are too blind to other alternatives. The best choice, it's always the one you ( the american's) take.

I do appreciate though your honesty and objetivity.

[sandman]

good posts chinasky!

but you're wrong when it comes to americans believing we always make the right choice...

america is split 50-50 on most issues. and people are EXTREMELY passionate on both sides. about half of america strongly objects to the way our government has handled iraq and the war on terror.

back to my point about how powerful the terrorists can become if we allow them....

now there's specualtion that al qaida will try to influence the US presidential election in November. maybe with an attack,  justified by saying it's due to the iraq war.

like chinasky pointed out, the election will be close and the independants will have a major say in who gets elected. it will be interesting to see if people vote out of fear, and allow al qaida to influence their choice.

[Jessica]

A word wide organisation to defeat terrorism ?

Sure, if you count all the world muslims capitalism has exploited, it could be just the reason for modern day crusades and we'd have nice bloody firy 3rd world war ..

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

A word wide organisation to defeat terrorism ?

Sure, if you count all the world muslims capitalism has exploited, it could be just the reason for modern day crusades and we'd have nice bloody firy 3rd world war ..

actually, you might be right .... history is a cycle, and well, we come to a time, where people need violence again...
i think, we want that world war 3
we really want it, deep inside, we can't say it, off course, but in our heart, even the little 7 years kid wants that

thats why all this shit is happening.
the world is going to be real fucked up in 20 or 30 years.
 

[Ignatius]

A word wide organisation to defeat terrorism ?

Sure, if you count all the world muslims capitalism has exploited, it could be just the reason for modern day crusades and we'd have nice bloody firy 3rd world war ..

Or not...a world wide organization it was the first thing came to mind. Truth is, something needs to be done other that what is currently being done.  Would you rather bomb a third world country? Do you think that's a better idea? or how about just not do anything at all? How about just sit down on our big fat politician ass and bitch about other countries's actions?

[Graciela]

A word wide organisation to defeat terrorism ?

Sure, if you count all the world muslims capitalism has exploited, it could be just the reason for modern day crusades and we'd have nice bloody firy 3rd world war ..

Ok then, so we just let them bomb our trains and hijack our planes.

I don't think the idea of a world wide organisation (led by the UN) is actually that bad. We need to coordinate efforts.

[jarmo]

Spain Arrests Five More Bombing Suspects

By MARIA JESUS PRADES, Associated Press Writer

MADRID, Spain - Police arrested five more people in the Madrid train bombings as the death toll rose Thursday to 202, making the blasts ? along with the 2002 Bali nightclub blasts ? the worst terrorist strike since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.


The arrests brought to 11 the total suspects in Spanish custody and came as the country marked a week since the bombings that shocked Europe, led to a stunning election defeat for the government and roiled Madrid's relations with the United States.


In Morocco, police also rounded up associates of Jamal Zougam, a key suspect in the train bombings with alleged al-Qaida ties.


The death of a 22-year-old Peruvian woman increased the toll in the attacks to 202 ? the same number killed by bombings in Bali, Indonesia, in October 2002. Nearly 3,000 people died in the Sept. 11 attacks carried out by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.


The latest arrests added to suspicions Moroccan extremists linked to Islamic terrorism were behind the Madrid bombings. At least three of the five suspects arrested Wednesday and Thursday are Moroccan nationals, according to a Moroccan official.


Spanish authorities sought to extend the detention of five other suspects, including Zougam, who were arrested Saturday. Zougam and the others ? two Moroccans and two Indians ? were being questioned Thursday at a Madrid court by Judge Juan del Olmo.


Del Olmo's options are to jail them pending further investigation ? which would suggest there is strong evidence against them ? free them on bail or with other restrictions, or release them altogether.


The suspects can be held for two years without a formal indictment while more evidence is gathered. This period can be extended for two more years.


Public anger over the government's handling of the bombings contributed to its loss in Sunday's elections. Critics accused it of provoking the bombings and making Spain a target for al-Qaida by backing the U.S.-led war in Iraq.


Prime Minister-designate Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, elected in the aftermath of the devastating bombings, repeated pledges Thursday that he would withdraw his country's 1,300 troops from Iraq unless the United Nations takes charge.


If Zapatero carries out his intention, "he'll appear to be appeasing terrorists and I think that would be really unfortunate," Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said during an interview Thursday on the PBS television program "Jim Lehrer News Hour."


"The Spaniards are courageous people," he said, adding: "They haven't run in the face of the Basque terrorists. I hope they don't run in the face of these peoplem."


In Morocco, police were rounding up Zougam's associates for questioning, said a Moroccan official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.


Three of the new arrests occurred in or near Alcala de Henares, a town 18 miles east of Madrid where three of the four bombed trains originated, according to court officials in Madrid. It's also where police found a van with detonators and a cassette tape with verses from the Quran hours after the attacks.


Another new suspect with Spanish citizenship was arrested in Oviedo, in northern Spain, court officials said.


Police believe that suspect may have had a direct role in the bombings and in the May 2003 suicide attacks that killed 33 people and 12 bombers in Casablanca, Morocco, said radio station Cadena Ser.


There were few details about the fifth suspect, although the news agency Efe said he was of North African origin.

   
Interior Minister Angel Acebes confirmed the "investigation is advancing" but wouldn't comment on the latest arrests. "This is a time for caution," he said, announcing the government would release intelligence reports about the attacks.

The 11th person detained in the investigation is an Algerian suspected of having had warning of the attack.

But Zougam, a 30-year-old Moroccan phone salesman in Madrid, remains the key suspect.

Spanish authorities were aware of his alleged links to al-Qaida since at least 2001, when they searched his Madrid apartment and found videos, including one of a bin Laden interview, and phone numbers of suspected al-Qaida members.

Moroccan officials said evidence shows Zougam also had links to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ? a key operative with strong ties to Ansar al-Islam, an Islamic extremist guerrilla group blamed for terrorist strikes in Iraq, Jordan, Turkey and Morocco.

The officials believe the Madrid attackers also have links to those blamed for the Casablanca bombings.

In an effort to untangle the web of terrorist ties, a judge questioned Imad Yarkas, the alleged leader of al-Qaida's cell in Spain, who is jailed on suspicion of helping plan the Sept. 11 attacks.

His attorney said Yarkas knew Zougam only superficially. "He was not his friend," said the lawyer, Jacobo Teijelo. "He had no important relationship."

But a probe of al-Qaida by Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon shows Zougam and Yarkas knew each other since at least 2001 and that Zougam telephoned Yarkas in a call monitored on Sept. 5, 2001.

Zougam is also suspected of links to Said Chedadi, another alleged al-Qaida operative arrested with Yarkas in 2001. Chedadi's phone number was found in the search of Zougam's home.

Chedadi remains in jail. On Wednesday night, police began searching his Madrid shop and house.

[jarmo]

The government's decision to release intelligence reports on the bombings was aimed at countering allegations it lied by initially saying Basque separatists were responsible.

"We have suffered a campaign of defamation, insinuations and even lies, the sole aim of which was to discredit the government and make it look like a liar and a manipulator," said government spokesman Eduardo Zaplana.

Public anger over the government's handling of the bombings contributed to its loss in Sunday's elections. Critics accused it of provoking the bombings and making Spain a target for al-Qaida by backing the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

A week after the bombings, many in Madrid were still in shock. At Atocha station, where two of the four trains were bombed, passengers paused and stood in silence Thursday at makeshift altars of flowers and candles.

"What happened in Iraq's war zone happened in Madrid," said Ulpiano Calderon, who helped recover bodies and survivors. "The sounds that people made ? the breathing, the cries. ... I don't remember what I did, but I remember the sounds."

___

AP writer Nicolas Marmie contributed to this report from Rabat, Morocco.





Spain Releases Intelligence Reports

By MAR ROMAN, Associated Press Writer

MADRID, Spain - The government has declassified intelligence documents it said would refute charges that it lied in the immediate aftermath of the Madrid bombings by insisting that Basque separatists were responsible.


The 24 pages of documents released were compiled from Thursday, the day of the attack, through Sunday, the day of the election, Spain's National Intelligence Center, spokesman Eduardo Zaplana said.


"They will clear up any doubt about the information government had on those days," Zaplana said.


The government has been accused of misleading the public by insisting the armed Basque separatist group ETA was its prime suspect in the bombings that killed 201 people even as evidence started surfacing of a possible Islamic link.


Cadena Ser radio, which is close to Spain's incoming Socialist government, provided more evidence that it said suggested the government suspected an Islamic link even though publicly it pointed the finger at ETA.


The station said Thursday that prison wardens switched Driss Chebli, a jailed al-Qaida suspect allegedly linked to reputed Spanish cell leader Imad Yarkas, into solitary confinement on March 11 after the Madrid attacks, even as Interior Minister Angel Acebes insisted ETA was the main focus of the investigation.


Cadena Ser said it had obtained a document from Soto del Real prison, where Chebli is being held, detailing the order placing him in solitary confinement.


The ruling party lost Sunday's general election amid allegations that it had provoked the bombings and made Spain a target for al-Qaida by backing the U.S.-led Iraq war.


"We can lose the elections but under no circumstances will we tolerate being called liars," Zaplana said Thursday at a news conference after a cabinet meeting.


Titled "11-M: The whole truth, in real time," the documents were broken into six sections, including a listing of events starting with the explosions themselves and a police report on a van found to contain detonators.


Two other sections are unsigned statements. One states that ETA was responsible and that there was no evidence of Islamic involvement. It was dated March 11, but carried no time of day.


A second statement, dated March 12 and lacking a time of day, deals with an alleged al-Qaida statement claiming responsibility for the attack. It concludes that the author of the statement is linked to the Islamic extremists but lacks sufficient authority to speak on their behalf.


A government spokesman later confirmed that only the two unsigned statements are actually from the intelligence services. None of the 24 pages carried the National Intelligence Center letterhead.


The 10 blasts on four commuter trains began March 11 at 7:39 a.m.


Acebes said Thursday the government received at 3:51 p.m. a CNI report to the effect that it was "almost certain" that ETA was behind the attacks.


ETA issued two statements last week denying responsibility for the attacks.


Spain is serving a two-year term on U.N. Security Council. Just hours after the blasts, its 15 members unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the bombings "perpetrated by the terrorist group ETA" following lobbying by Foreign Minister Ana Palacio and other diplomats.


The pages released to journalists Thursday included a copy of Palacio's telegram sent to ambassadors and consuls worldwide on the evening of March 11 in which she insisted ETA was responsible and complained that a political party in Spain was trying to cast doubt about this.

http://news.yahoo.com/



/jarmo

[jarmo]

Judge in Spain Charges Four More Suspect

By DANIEL WOOLLS, Associated Press Writer

MADRID, Spain - A judge filed charges early Tuesday against four more suspects in the Madrid train bombings and ordered them held pending further investigation.


The judge charged the Moroccans and a Spaniard with terrorism and mass killings for their alleged participation in the bombings, which killed 202 people and helped drive the ruling right-of-center government from power.


A fifth suspect, a Moroccan arrested with the others Thursday, was released without charges.


The charges came after six hours of questioning at the National Court, and bring to nine the number of people charged in the March 11 railway bombings. Six are Moroccan.


Suspicion over the 10 bombs targeting Madrid commuter trains has focused on an alleged Morocco-based terrorist cell believed to have links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and on al-Qaida itself.


All three Moroccans questioned into the early hours of Tuesday denied involvement in the Madrid attacks. One left the courtroom in tears. Another said that when he learned of the attacks the morning of March 11, he was at home watching cartoons with his children, court officials said.


The charges stop short of a formal indictment, but suggest the court has strong evidence against the suspects. They can remain in jail two years while investigators gather more evidence.


A total of 13 people are now in custody over the bombings, which left 202 people dead and more than 1,800 wounded. The latest four arrests came Monday in Madrid. Those four, believed to be of North African origin, have yet to go before a judge.


Spaniard Jose Emilio Suarez, accused of providing explosives for the attacks, was charged with 190 counts of murder, 1,430 counts of attempted murder, robbery and collaborating or belonging to a terrorist organization. Court officials said the latter charge will be specified further as the probe continues. The figure of 190 cited by the judge is the number of bodies officially identified so far.


Moroccan Abderrahim Zbakh, who cried as he left the courtroom, was charged with all those same offenses except robbery, officials said.


Mohamed El Hadi Chedadi and Abdelouahid Berrak, also Moroccans, were charged with collaborating with or belonging to a terrorist organization.


Berrak said he knows lead suspect Jamal Zougam because they own a barber shop together. Berrak also said he was an acquaintance of Imad Yarkas, the accused leader of an alleged Spanish al-Qaida cell who was arrested in Madrid in Nov. 2001.


The freed suspect was named as Farid Oulad Ali. Judge Juan del Olmo said there was insufficient evidence against him.


The scale of the attacks was reflected in the government's decision to hold a state funeral Wednesday for those slain.


It is the first time since democracy was restored after Gen. Francisco Franco's death in 1975 that a state funeral has been held for anyone other than a member of the royal family, government officials said.

http://news.yahoo.com


/jarmo

[jarmo]

Judge Questions 5 Madrid Bombing Suspects


By MARIA JESUS PRADES, Associated Press Writer

MADRID, Spain - A Spanish judge interrogated five suspects in the deadly Madrid train bombings Monday as the incoming Socialist government, facing international pressure over plans to withdraw troops from Iraq, doubled its deployment to Afghanistan.



The five suspects ? three Moroccans and two Syrians ? are among 18 people detained in the March 11 bombings that killed 190 people and wounded more than 1,800.


Also Monday, the Spanish news agencies Efe and Europa Press reported that another bombing victim ? a 49-year-old woman ? died in a Madrid hospital, raising the death toll to 191. Hospital officials would not confirm those reports when contacted by The Associated Press.


The five suspects were questioned in National Court starting at noon EST and were expected to remain there for several hours.


Twelve of the 18 suspects have been charged in connection with Spain's worst terror attack. Nine of those 12 are Moroccans.


A Morocco-based terrorist cell with possible links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and al-Qaida itself are the main focus of suspicion in the bombings.


Investigators have analyzed a videotape in which a man claiming to speak on behalf of al-Qaida said the group carried out the Madrid attack in reprisal for Spain's backing of the U.S.-led war in Iraq.


Three days after the bombings, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's conservative government was surprisingly defeated in general elections by the anti-war Socialists.


Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero pledged to remove Spain's 1,300 soldiers from Iraq unless the United Nations takes charge of the occupation. Zapatero says both the war and occupation are illegal because they lack a U.N. mandate.


Zapatero's campaign manager, Jose Blanco, told Spanish National Radio on Monday that plans to withdraw troops from Iraq by June 30 remain in place unless the occupation gets a U.N. mandate.


Facing criticism from the United States and other countries, an aide to Spain's incoming defense minister, Jose Bono, said Monday the nation will double its military contingent in Afghanistan to 250 soldiers this summer.


That decision was made in consultation with outgoing Defense Minister Federico Trillo, said Bono spokesman Jose Luis Fernandez.


Zapatero's party supports the Afghanistan occupation because it is sanctioned by the United Nations, and NATO is commanding the forces overseeing the country's reconstruction after the ouster of the Taliban.


Chris Henderson, spokesman for the 6,500 NATO-led troops in Afghanistan, welcomed the news. NATO is expanding its presence in Afghanistan beyond the capital Kabul, but member countries have been slow to commit more troops.


"It's going to be critical we get additional resources, additional troops," Henderson said.


The five bombing suspects questioned Monday were Moroccans Fouad Almorabit and brothers Said Ahmidam and Hamed Ahmidam, and Syrians Mohammed Almallah Dabas and Baset Ghayoun.


The Spanish radio station Cadena Ser and the newspaper ABC have reported that Moroccan authorities believe a 36-year-old Moroccan named Abdelkrim Mejjati may have been the on-the-ground organizer of the Madrid attacks. Both outlets quoted Moroccan intelligence sources as saying Mejjati was in Madrid three days before the bombings.

   



Moroccan authorities told the AP that Mejjati was convicted in absentia after deadly bombings in Casablanca last year and is no longer believed to be in Morocco. Those bombings killed 33 people and 12 suicide bombers.

Moroccan authorities said it was unclear what role Mejjati played in the Madrid bombings.

"Mejjati is a big fish but his precise role is still uncertain," a senior official told the AP.

Also Monday, the newspaper El Pais reported that police searching a rural house where terrorists allegedly assembled the train bombs have found the fingerprints of at least 10 people, including Moroccan prime suspect Jamal Zougam.

Radio station Onda Cero said over the weekend that police also found the fingerprints of Abderrahim Zbakh, another Moroccan leading suspect.

Investigators would not confirm the reports, which also said detonators and traces of dynamite were found in the house near Morata de Tajuna, 20 miles southeast of Madrid. The attackers planted explosives-laden backpacks in four rush-hour commuter trains and apparently triggered them by cell phone.

A cell phone attached to an unexploded bomb was traced to a mobile phone store owned by Zougam.

Both Zbakh and Zougam have been charged with mass murder. Court documents have linked Zougam to members of a Spanish al-Qaida cell.

French private investigator Jean-Charles Brisard said last week that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian linked to al-Qaida and suspected of heading a terrorist network in Iraq, is now believed to have masterminded the Madrid bombings.

Brisard is an internationally known counterterrorism expert who has testified before the U.S. Congress and represents some family members of victims of the Sept.11 terror attacks on the United States.



/jarmo

[jarmo]

Ringleader of Madrid Attacks Dies in Raid

MADRID, Spain - The alleged ringleader of last month's train bombings in Madrid was among four suspects who blew themselves up as police raided their apartment, Spain's interior ministers said Sunday.

The blast Saturday night killed a special operations police officer and wounded 15 other policemen. Interior Minister Angel Acebes said one of the dead bombers was found with an explosives belt around his body, and two or three suspects may have escaped before the explosion.

Sarhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, a Tunisian accused of spearheading the March 11 attacks, was among the dead, Acebes said. An international warrant had been issued for the arrest of Fakhet and five others last week.

"The core of the group that carried out the attacks is either arrested or dead in yesterday's collective suicide, including the head of the operative commando (unit)," Acebes told a news conference.

Another man on that list, Abdennabi Kounjaa, a Moroccan, was identified as among the four who died Saturday night. A third man ? Asri Rifaat Anouar, was not on the list. The fourth suspect has not been identified, Acebes said.

Police also found 200 detonators of the kind used in the March 11 attacks and in a bomb that was discovered Friday before it could explode along a high speed rail line, Acebes said.

Police also found 22 pounds of dynamite in the apartment where the four terrorists blew themselves up as police closed in, Acebes said.

"They were going to keep on attacking because some of the explosives were prepared, packed and connected to detonators," Acebes said.

The group set off the deadly explosion as police prepared to storm their apartment in Leganes south of Madrid. Police had approached the building about 7 p.m. to make arrests as part of an escalating manhunt for those responsible for the March 11 bombings.

The suspects spotted the police from a window and shot at them, shouting in Arabic, the Interior Ministry said. Over the next two hours, police evacuated as many people as they could from the building and surrounding area and prepared for an assault on the apartment.

No police officers were hurt by the gunfire.

As the terrorists shot at police from the apartment, "they shouted 'God is great' and Islamic verses," the newspaper El Mundo quoted a resident of the building as saying. It identified him only as Alberto M., who lived two floors up.

El Pais said special forces preparing the assault managed to communicate with the terrorists and gave them a deadline to surrender. But the terrorists shouted back "God is great, we are going to go out killing," the newspaper said, quoting police.

The terrorists set off their bomb in a second-story apartment after police blasted open the ground-floor entrance, the Interior Ministry said.

The special forces officer who died in the explosion was identified Sunday as Javier Torrontera, 41. He was married and had two children.

The investigation into the Madrid attacks has focused on the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, which has links to al-Qaida and is related to a group suspected in last year's Casablanca bombings, which killed 45 people including 12 suicide bombers. Acebes said the probe will now focus on what connections the bombers may have had abroad or with other terrorist groups.

Spain has been a major U.S. ally in Iraq and has been warned previously by al-Qaida that it would be the target of terrorism for its support.

Fifteen suspects are already in custody. Six have been charged with mass murder and nine with collaborating with or belonging to a terrorist organization. Eleven of the 15 charged are Moroccan.


http://news.yahoo.com



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