Basque Terrorists Believed Responsible for Madrid Bombings

[MavKikiNYC]

Wishing an agonizing and painful death upon these terrorists and their families.......

Updated: 04:23 AM EST
Series of Blasts Rock Madrid, 60 Reported Dead
by STEPHEN MACKEY, AP

MADRID, Spain (March 11) - Four powerful explosions rocked Madrid train stations during Thursday morning rush hour, ripping apart train cars and killing at least 60 people just days before national elections.

There was no claim of responsibility, but suspicions fell on the Basque separatist group ETA. If ETA carried out the blasts, it would be the group's deadliest attack in decades of armed struggle. Previously, their deadliest strike was in 1987 when 21 people were killed in a supermarket blast in Barcelona.

Shards of twisted metal were scattered by rails at the bustling Atocha station at the spot where an explosion severed a train in two.

Wounded victims spattered with blood were lifted into ambulances or treated on the sidewalk. A man leaning against a post had half his face covered in blood with one eye swollen shut as he was treated by emergency workers.

The Interior Ministry said that at least 60 killed were killed. Dozens more were wounded.

Two bombs went off in a commuter train as it arrived at bustling Atocha station in the Spanish capital, according to news reports. Explosions rocked two other stops on a commuter line leading to Atocha, the news agency Efe reported.

Witnesses saw train cars destroyed. Hospitals appealed for people to come in and donate blood after Thurday's blasts.

Police had been on alert for ETA violence ahead of general elections Sunday, which the ruling conservatives, which has taken a hard line against ETA, are expected to fare well.

On February 29, police intercepted a Madrid-bound van packed with more than 1,100 pounds of explosives, and blamed on ETA. On Christmas eve, police thwarted an attempted bombing at Chamartin, another Madrid rail station, and arrested two suspected ETA members.

Cesar Gomez, a Madrid rescue services official, said there was a ''multitude'' of injured at Atocha.

People in tears and bloodied could be seen walking away from the station in droves.

''I saw many things explode in the air, I don't know, it was horrible,'' said Juan Fernandez, 50, a civil servant who was on the platform to take the train to go to work.

''People started to scream and run, some bumping into each other and as we ran there was another explosion. I saw people with blood pouring from them, people on the ground.''

A woman who lives near the El Pozo station on the line leading to Atocha said ''the scene I am seeing is hellish. People running toward Atocha however they can.''

The woman said she saw a boy or young man on the ground who appeared to have died.

''I can see people inside the remains of the train,'' the unidentified woman told Spanish National Radio.

An Associated Press reporter saw a woman with a bloodied face outside Atocha station.

Atocha is a huge downtown complex with a subway station and both commuter and long-distance trains.

About an hour after the blasts, people who had gathered blocks from the Atocha station stampeded away, apparently fearing another bomb.

AP-NY-03-11-04 0420EST

[twelli]

There should be a way to send all terrorists regardless of their beliefs and causes to the moon and let them play with explosives as much as they want.

If you want kill people, fight one by one with your bare hands.

Spineless cowards...

[Mavdog]

When I heard of the attack the ETA wasn't who came to mind first, as they didn't typically target civilians (and made a point of telling then to leave before a blast). They were active in targeted assasinations tho..my feeling is this could be Islamist radicals.
Anyway, here's an article I just saw:
*************************
Madrid Bombs Don't Match ETA Style - Europol Head
1 hour, 5 minutes ago

ROME (Reuters) - The simultaneous bomb blasts that ripped through commuter trains in Madrid on Thursday did not bear the hallmarks of Basque separatist group ETA, the head of the European Union (news - web sites)'s police agency said.

"It could have been ETA... But we're dealing with an attack that doesn't correspond to the 'modus operandi' they have adopted up to now," said Europol director Juergen Storbeck, who was in Rome to talk to an Italian parliamentary committee.

"In the past ETA has always attacked individuals, and if they saw any danger for the public they gave a warning... It's not yet clear they were the authors," Italian news agency Ansa quoted him as saying.

Despite Spain's recent successes against ETA, "there could still be other cells that have not been brought under control and could have become more extremist," he said.

He did not say whether he believed Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s al Qaeda network might have been behind the attack.

[Drbio]

Spineless cowards...

Absolutely. Fricking cheesedicks.

[OutletPass]

Kiki may have to change the name of this thread. I'm reading that the investigators have found detonators in a van together with a tape of verses from the Quran. This may be linked to Islamic terrorists.

Unbelievably cowardly....just insane.

[Dooby]

Was Spain a part of the "Coalition of the willing"? I don't remember.

[Drbio]

I think they were dooby. Bush and Spain are tight.

[Fidel]

Originally posted by: Dooby
Was Spain a part of the "Coalition of the willing"? I don't remember.

Yes they were.

The spanish government was very quick pointing towards ETA. But now it seems there´s pretty strong evidence for an islamic background. Spain is due for presidential elections on sunday.

German media is now reporting that around 200 people were killed and around 1500 injured, alot of them severly.

This is just horrible. Fucking assholes who did this.


Shit, shit, shit. I just remembered that two good friends of mine are living in Madrid right now. Gonna have to make some phone calls now. Oh my god.

[dude1394]

Spain definitely is part of the Multilateral Coalition to Rid Iraq of the Regime of Sadaam Hussein and carry out the Fifty Million Security Councel Resolutions. I think it was shortened to MCRIRSHFMSCR.

But it's also why I have a fine bottle of spanish wine in my frig. I'm thinking tonight would be a good night for it. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[img]i/expressions/wine.gif[/img]

[dude1394]

I believe it was what 2.5 years from 9/11. It will be interesting. So what is the fallout.

- Spain girds up and re-invigorates their support against islamo-fascists.
- They listen to the peachniks, and put their head in the sand ala france.

My guess is number 1. Nothing like being attacked to get western countries dander up.