Is Europe's 3/11 America's 9/11? (Must Read)

The Times of India ^ | THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 | RASHMEE Z. AHMED

[nickcarraway]

LONDON: As four powerful bombs bloodied the Spanish capital Madrid killing 173, in Europe’s deadliest act of terror after the Lockerbie bombings, major European capitals have begun to wonder if 3/11 - the 11th day of the third month – is meant to be the Old World’s 9/11?

As news filtered in that 13 bombs were meant to go off together in one of Europe’s most historic and vibrant capitals, Britain significantly declared it to be "an assault on the very principle of European democracy".

Spain goes to the polls on Sunday.

Some of Europe’s leading terrorism experts agreed the bombs ahead of ballots could be as significant an assault on Western democracy as 9/11's crumbling twin towers attacked the symbol of Western capitalism.

So could it have been al-Qaeda, hooking up for the very first time with a largely secular European nationalist grouping?

Could the world’s most feared, faceless and fabulously inventive Islamist terrorist group really be wreaking revenge for Spain's controversial participation in the US-led, UK-backed militaristic coalition against terror?

And if so, is Britain, America’s closest ally in the war on terror, next?

Officially, Spain does not think it is al-Qaeda. With European capitals shuddering at the thought that al-Qaeda might have left its calling card right at the heart of Europe, Spain’s interior minister Angel Acebes blamed the homegrown ETA. ETA is fighting a violent separatist campaign to free the Basque region.

But in a deepening mystery, a leader of ETA’s banned political wing, Herri Batasuna, said "Arab resistance", not ETA, was not to blame.

The denial, said ETA expert Professor Paul Heywood, was unusual. ETA has nearly always claimed responsibility in 35 years of attacks, which claimed 800 lives altogether. If ETA were proved to have pulled off the Madrid spectacular, it would be assured undreamt-of publicity.

The Basque blame for "Arabs" blew a chill wind threw European chancelleries. But, some leading British security analysts said there was a risk of terrorist groups using al-Qaeda and Islamist resistance as a fig leaf for their actions.

Even so, some of the world’s leading experts on ETA admitted they are puzzled by the unprecedented scale of the attacks.

The modus operandi too, with unannounced coordinated multiple blasts perfectly timed for the rush hour and maximum human suffering were unusual, said a leading authority on ETA, Paddy Woodworth in Dublin.

With worrying candour, Professor Paul Wilkinson, a leading terrorism expert at St Andrews University, said al-Qaeda's handiwork or not, the attacks may underline the al-Qaeda effect on global terrorism.

"Terrorist groups learn from each other", he said.

Late on Thursday, Tony Blair said the attacks underlined the worldwide terrorist threat. The president of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, said it was "a declaration of war on democracy".

Spain’s wannabe prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, who heads the governing Popular Party, said it was a "massive assassination which has plunged democracy into mourning".

[nickcarraway]

I just wonder if they decided on Spain because all their attempts in the U.S. were frustrated.

[jriemer]

If John Kerry really thinks terrorism is an "international crime issue" then John Kerry is "soft on crime".

[crazycat]

I heard on the BBC tonight that Downing st had this pegged as al-Queda from 9.00 am this morning, but they won't say it in public.

[FoxInSocks]

I noticed the source was India, but I wasn't aware of the different connotation. Thanks.

[Iberian]

This was not the ETA. The ETA is probably as repulsed by this as anyone. In 35 years the ETA has killed 800 people, if this was their doing they would have evacuated the trains and them blow them up.
23 people a year die in terrorist acts in spain due to ETA (on average).
I'm thinking that even ETA will not take this type of atack lightly and may even change things in Spain.

[Iberian]

This was not the ETA. The ETA is probably as repulsed by this as anyone. In 35 years the ETA has killed 800 people, if this was their doing they would have evacuated the trains and them blow them up.
23 people a year die in terrorist acts in spain due to ETA (on average).
I'm thinking that even ETA will not take this type of atack lightly and may even change things in Spain.

[Deb]

I felt like the first Spanish claim of it being ETA was a ploy. All of Europe has been on a very high alert for the last few weeks. Somebody reported that Blair checks with his intelligence guys every hour to see if things are surfacing. Spain has also been on alert and I wouldn't be surprised if they know exactly who did this. Especially after they found another van with Arab pamphlets and explosives right after the bombings.

First day analysis don't usually stand.

[CSM]

Thanks. I was hoping to see something last night, but I must have missed it. Did he issue any order to put the flags at half mast? I keep expecting to see them lowered.

[mware]

John Kerry's response would be to serve the terrorists with legal papers

I can just see Gomer Kerry yellin', "Citizen Arrest, Citizen's Arrest."

[ought-six]

"This smells like Al-Quaeda. ETA has denied responsibility(they don't do that when they do it), and I don't think ETA has ever tried for such mass death."

I agree. This is not ETA's m.o. ETA has never intentionally targeted innocents; it almost always went in for attacking governmental facilities and select politicians or authority figures. Islamist terrorists, though, have this type of attack as their stock and trade. Islamist terrorists intentionally target soft targets such as innocent civilians, women and children, crowded places, etc. Maybe this will wake Europe up, especially France, Germany, and Belgium.

[ought-six]

"I know that this is going to be politically incorrect -- but kill them all - kill every last man of them. (the terrorists and not Muslims in general)."

Not politically incorrect as far as I'm concerned; and, really, who cares if it WERE un-PC? Kill them. And then kill them again. And then bury their remains in vats of pork grease.

[ought-six]

"Why Spain? Because Spain has stood shoulder to shoulder with us in the fight on the war on terror - and especially Iraq."

And because Moslems equate Spain with the crusades and the eviction of the Moslems from Europe. Moslems controlled Spain for several hundred years before they were driven out. The Islamists have been saying for quite some time that Spain was due for a "pay back."

[the OlLine Rebel]

Why? This is not an American thing, #1.

Don't mean to steer this off-topic but we have been "dumbing down" (like everything else) the rules of flag-lowering (not to mention flag treatment, in general). That includes lowering it for every American ever killed (I've seen it for police, etc). It is *only* supposed to be lowered generally for deaths of high members of state (US) and perhaps massive national tragedies. If we do it like every1 keeps suggesting, the flag would never go up!

[CSM]

Good points. Thanks for the reminder.

[the OlLine Rebel]

No problem. ;-) I hate to sound callous, but it's the truth! (A problem we seem to have lately - ignoring the truth so as not to seem callous and uncaring and hateful....)

[CSM]

I didn't consider it callous at all. Just a reminder of the seriousness involved and the cases where it is appropriate. We can find other ways to support our allies without denigrating the meaning of our symbols.

[M. Peach]

I haven't read all of the replies yet to know if some else mentioned the fact that this attack is 911 days after 9/11 - Has anyone else heard this?


Hmmm - very interesting....

[shhrubbery!]

Only problem is that this is 11/3 to them, not 3/11.

But it is 911 days since 9/11.

Or so I heard on the radio -- haven't counted the days myself to see if that's exactly right.

[shhrubbery!]

Aha. Didn't see your post before I posted mine. I heard it too. Don't have time at the moment to do the calculations myself though.