Spain - At least one explosion at Madrid train station [186 dead, over 1000 wounded, graphic photos]

Associated Press | March 10, 2004

[PureSolace]

Here's the story from Christmas Eve where they stopped these bastards before... SOURCE: BBC Wednesday, 24 December, 2003, 14:30 GMT

Spanish police 'foil train bomb'

Spanish authorities say they have foiled a Basque separatist plot to blow up a train at a Madrid rail station.
One powerful 25-kilo (50 lb) bomb was placed on a train travelling from San Sebastian to Madrid, Interior Minister Angel Acebes said.

A second bomb was seized before it was put on the same train, he added.

Two men were arrested on Wednesday in the Basque region, one of whom was carrying the second bomb in a rucksack, Mr Acebes said.

The train was stopped in the city of Burgos, before it could reach the capital.

Christmas travel

Mr Acebes identified the two people arrested as Gorka Loran Lafourcade and Garikoitz Arruarte Santacruz.

The BBC's Katya Adler, in Madrid, says the Spanish capital is alive with people in streets and in train stations setting off to visit families for Christmas.

The macabre intention of the terrorist organisation was to explode a device on Christmas Eve, in a station crowded like Charmatin

Angel Acebes
Interior Minister
She said people hearing the news would be enormously worried.

One of bombs seized was timed to go off around 1555 local time (1455 GMT) in a central station which would have been packed with travellers, she added.

ETA has suffered from increased co-operation between Spain and France over the last few years since 11 September. This has led to some high profile arrests and less attacks.

The Basque separatists, who have killed nearly 850 people since 1968 in their campaign for an independent Basque state, have attempted to stage Christmas bomb attacks in the capital before.

In 1999 civil guards stopped two vans, each carrying about a tonne of explosive, which police said were destined for Madrid.

[zarf]

Why is it sickening? The "Palestinians" have gotten alot of world sympathy for these kinds of tactics....why shouldn't some other group of oppressed people do the same?

Perhaps a U.N. resolution congratulating the bombers is in order?

[LdSentinal]

Italian media is reporting 80 dead . . . Geez

[HAL9000]

Dos personas heridas en la explosión esperan en el suelo ser atendidas. (EFE)

[yonif]

I'll bet the Security Council will convene and condemn the terror, and tell Spain to go after the guys. In the case of Israel, that's different. The UN remains quiet and convenes only AFTER the IDF goes after the terrorists, and then they condemn the IDF.

[DeuceTraveler]

Time to put these guys down.

[PureSolace]

Does the ETA try to kill people, or do they mostly bomb to attack property and to scare people?

Apparently, they're in the market for murder...I don't know the ETA's political ideals or anything, but no matter who you are, theres no good reason to terror bomb civilians.

[yonif]

TERROR ORGANISATIONS IN THE OTHER COUNTRIES
Terror Organisations in Europe
ETA (Spain)

Bask Separatist Movement (ETA) was founded by the militants who separated from EKIN group, in 1962. They claim that they are fighting for freedom of the Bask Region, in Spain. Since its beginning, the leftist students of the University of Madrid formed guerrilla units. Every unit is made of approximately 200 students. They adopt hit and run tactic and they combat with the police. In fact, the aim of this terrorist movement was to end Franco Regime in Spain and replace it with a socialist system, but today it aims to separate Bask from Spain and to establish a free state. The Spanish government has taken serious measurements against terrorism in Bask and by bringing the terrorist to justice, trailed them in military courts. Spanish jurisprudence convicts the terrorists with major punishments.

Aims and Methods

ETA struggles for freedom of BASK and its targets are police officers, soldiers, and officials. France has decided to deport all the ETA members in 1986 and the French living in Spain became another target of ETA.

International Connections

IRA is one of the terrorist organisations, which is in close relations with ETA. These two leftist terrorist organisations signed an agreement in April 1972 and Breton Freedom Front has joined this agreement too. This agreement was made to determine the political views of these three provincial movements. After 1972, ETA has divided into three wings, the Moderates, political wing and the military wing. This structure is very similar to IRA’s structure. The military wings of both organisations are in close relations and the members of both organisations meet very often.

ETA has many connections with other terrorist organisations. For example, in August 1983, the representatives of Katalonia Tierra Libra, Bask, ETA, Corsica Liberation Movement, IRA, and KADEK have held a meeting. In 1970’s the ETA militants were trained in El Fetih Camp in Palestine and in the same year THKO/THKP-C militants were there as well. Moreover, DEV-SOL, TKP/ML and ETA have made a joint declaration in Hamburg on 2 January 1984.

Resemblance with KADEK

In the terrorist activities of 1987, ETA exploded cars, made armed robberies, collected money from the rich under the name of “Revolution Tax”, it proposed cease fire to the government on 30 January 1988, and demanded to solve the conflicts around a table but began its violent actions again, it killed civil people without considering they are children or women... These are very similar to the actions of KADEK.

http://www.teror.gen.tr/english/organisations/eta.html

[zarf]

If the UN was consistent they would condemn those crazy partying Spaniards for "ignoring the plight" of the Basques and that "both sides" were to blame.

[yonif]

Good info here about ETA:

Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)

[PureSolace]

Two people injured by an explosion in a train wait for aid outside the train station of Atocha in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, March 11, 2004. At least 30 people were killed in just one of three Madrid train station blasts, a Spanish news agency reports. (AP Photo/Jose Huesca/EFE)

[yonif]

Israel Radio: Spanish Radio reports at least 95 to more then 100 murdered. Could even be a couple hundred. Big Panic in Madrid.

[yonif]

ETA blamed by Spanish Gov. Authorities.

[zarf]

Nice job ETA!!!

[PureSolace]

LAtest from Haaretz:

Last Update: 11/03/2004 10:51

60 people said dead in Spain after Madrid explosions

By News Agencies

MADRID - At least 60 people were killed in three explosions on packed commuter trains in Madrid during the Thursday morning rush hour, the Spanish Interior Ministry said. Police said the attack appeared to be the work of Basque separatist group ETA.

News reports said two bombs went off in a commuter train arriving at bustling Atocha station.

Blasts rocked two other stops on a commuter line leading to Atocha, the news agency Efe reported. Spanish National Radio quoted witness as saying they saw people lying on the ground and train cars destroyed.

Police told the Europa Press news agency that several people died in the Atocha blast and dozens were injured.

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

There was no claim of responsibility, but police have been on high alert for Basque separatist violence ahead of general elections Sunday.

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. Medics were seen treating at least three people. A man was taken away on a stretcher.

People living near the station said they heard at least two blasts.

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.

[HAL9000]

[yonif]

One unconfirmed report says that at the Al Poso underground train station a massacre took place, and there are hundreds of bodies down there.

[HAL9000]

[PureSolace]

Paramedics aid a man injured by an explosion in a train, outside of the train station of Atocha in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, March 11, 2004. At least 60 people were killed in just one of three Madrid train station blasts, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry. (AP Photo/Jose Huesca/EFE)

[yonif]

Spanish reporter on Israel Radio: Spanish authorities not used to such events as Israeli forces are. Large panic and confusion in Madrid. Cell phone system in area has collapsed, and there are many people who haven't been evacuated yet.