Thursday about 200 were killed and 1500 injured in a terrorist attack in Madrid, Spain.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/...ks/default.stm
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/madrid.bombing/

About 10 bombs went off in four different trains, almost simultaneously, at three train stations.

ETA was first blamed, but an Arabic-language newspaper in London said it received an e-mail claim of responsibility in the name of al Qaeda from the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigade.

The Spanish governemt still has ETA as it's prime suspect, but there are also several other proofs that can link it to Al-Qaeda.
ETA has officially denied that they were behind the bombings.
The bombs that were used, were also a bit more advanced than the ones normally used by ETA.
The terrorist attack happened exactly 2 and a half year after the 11. Sept attacks in USA, this is 912 days after the attack on USA.
(It could actually be 911(!) days after if we didn't have a 29 February this year!)


This has already been called 311, the Spanish 911........

My deepest sympathy to the Spanish people. Will europe now understand that it is in a war? Or will it take another attack? Europians must see that there is no diffrence between Islamic Jihad to Hizballah to Al-Qaida...They are all the same. We should destroy them all!

To tell you the truth, I don't think it was ETA, they usually claim responsibility for thier attacks. Being of Basque heritage, I don't sympathize with the Basque Separtist cause. I think it's moronic to pursue ANY cause while making it a point to murder innocent civilians on purpose.

Roger.

I highly doubt it was the ETA, too. Their whole reason for bombing (usually car dealerships in France and more assassination type in Spain, if memory serves), is to one: bring recognition to their "cause" so why would they not take credit? Or two: to take out a point target, usually the assassination of dissenters like newspapermen or police, I don't think ETA has EVER done anything even approaching the size of these bombings, it is totally counter to their MO.

And my prayers go to the families of the victims, too.

It can't be the ETA...

The evidence points more and more against AL-Qaida.

As Master Gunner said, the ETA does almost always take the credit, and most of their bombs are harmless, just to show the Spanish government that they can do it..

I heard on the news now too that the explosives that was used was not of the same type as the ETA almost always use. (they stole about 8 tonnes of the same type some years ago..)

But the Spanish government still claims that ETA could have done it.
Seems like they are using this tragedy and try to hurt ETA's cause now.

I dont get it, they saed on the news the spanish people may vote agains the gov', since they see it as their fault that spain was attacked...what a bunch of nonsence...wake up and smell the jihad!!!

You got that right Sherman. These guys won't rest until everyone who isn't exactly like them is dead. I heard today that they found another bomb under the high speed train in Spain. So there they are, after capitulating to the whim of the terrorists only to find them right back at it again. When will people learn that you can't negotiate with people that want to kill themselves and take as many of you with them. Negotiation assumes that there is some logic in the thought pattern of the other person. By the time they strap on the explosives, these nuts have gone way beyond any sense of logic and the only thing you can do is to expedite their desire to give up their own lives.