Madrid bombings carry al-Qaida hallmark

United Press International ^ | 3-11-04 | Claude Salhani

[Starve The Beast]

... For starters the Brussels-based World Observatory of Terrorism, an independent think tank affiliated with the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center, points to five major reasons that cast doubt on the involvement of ETA.

First, ETA generally warns Spanish authorities moments before launching their attacks in which civilians are likely to be harmed. This, obviously, was not the case on Thursday.

Second, ETA traditionally targets representatives of the government or the administration, such as policemen, the military, magistrates or even journalists who oppose them.

Third, ETA customarily selects "symbolic" targets, such as military barracks and administrative buildings. Although ETA's largest attack to date was in 1987 against a supermarket in Barcelona that killed 21 people, this was the exception rather than the norm.

Fourth, ETA always claims its attacks. Following any ETA bombing, ETA militants call in a claim to Spanish authorities. This failed to happen this time.

Fifth, ETA has never in the past carried out multiple attacks. According to some sources, at least 10 bombs were detonated almost simultaneously on Thursday...

Go here to read the entire article.

[Starve The Beast]

This is an interesting article that makes the case for the Madrid bombings being the result of Islamic terrorists, not the Basque. Good read.

[John H K]

On the other hand, it's quite possible for AQ to have nothing to do with the attack, but still have influenced ETA's thought process; stuff like 9/11 and the Bali bombings have rendered the usual ETA stuff "small potatoes" and the ETA felt it had to do something different to continue to get attention.

Given the explosives were typical ETA explosives, and the interception of ETA operatives with vast quantities of explosives last month heading to Madrid, it's probably ETA.

[BrooklynGOP]

Given the explosives were typical ETA explosives, and the interception of ETA operatives with vast quantities of explosives last month heading to Madrid, it's probably ETA.

Doubt it. What are the typical explosives used by ETA, anyway?

[philosofy123]

That was my first inclination. Militant Moslems in Europe and the US who are constantly belly aching over rights, and profiling are essentially the same people who are organizing the underground Moslem terrorism. You find that the imams in every mosque in Europe, and the US are the ones leading the incitement against us. Close all these mosques unless Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Moslem countries allow for freedom of worship in their countries.

[Starve The Beast]

...the imams in every mosque in Europe, and the US are the ones leading the incitement against us.

You are certainly correct on this point, and according to Thomas Friedman, European Muslims are choice targets of al Queada recruiters. But we can't abrogate our own freedoms just to get even. That's what is making the WOT so damn difficult.

[ChadGore]

Thoughts and prayers to the entire nation.

A proud people, our ally, attacked, needs our help.

A thousand prayers

[John H K]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4502950/

"The bombers used titadine, a kind of compressed dynamite also found in a bomb-laden van intercepted last month as it headed for Madrid, a source at Aznar’s office said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Officials blamed ETA then, too."

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

"Acebes, the interior minister, said the earlier train plot made it "absolutely clear and evident that the terrorist organization ETA was looking to commit a major attack. The only thing that varies is the train station that was targeted.”"

It's certainly possible for AQ to have done it, but at this point it's far more likely for the ETA to have done it.

Doing some research but I think the "ETA always warns before attacks on civilians" stuff by the AQ did it crowd may be greatly overstated.

It's certainly understandable why people want AQ to have done it...."Nuke Mecca" has much more of a ring to it than "Nuke Bilbao" but looking at it objectively ETA looks like a better bet.

[AppyPappy]

I'm guessing it's a hybrid. ETA plus militant Muslims.

[philosofy123]

But we can't abrogate our own freedoms just to get even. That's what is making the WOT so damn difficult.

Wrong! We are not taking away freedom from John and Mike; we are taking away freedom from Mohammad, and Mustafa. That should not concern our conscious one bit, because these losers do not provide freedom to their minority Christians in their countries, even though their Christian minorities are not bombing things all the time as these a-holes are doing here.

[justshutupandtakeit]

These groups do work with each other. Remember the IRA-Libya connection?

[Dr Snide]

exactly. I have already hear on MSNBC how American intelligence agencies are leaning towards an al queda attack and the Basque groups are denying anything to do with it. As an aside, remember that according to Islamic law any territory once held by Muslims is always Muslim territory. Guess who use to run Spain centuries ago, those damm Moors. Long memories.

[Starve The Beast]

The bombers used titadine, a kind of compressed dynamite also found in a bomb-laden van intercepted last month as it headed for Madrid...

al Queada uses whatever it can get. In Spain, all terrorist organizations have access to about the same materials, so that's what they would use. It makes no sense to expect that two different gangs of thugs in the same geographic area would use 'signature' explosives. If you look at the facts, this really looks a lot more like Muslims than Basques.

[Starve The Beast]

...we are taking away freedom from Mohammad, and Mustafa.

And this we must not do. Muslims in the free world need to be treated the same as anybody else, or we've lost what makes us the good guys. Look, viscerally I agree with you, but we need to think with our heads here.

[null and void]

Doubt it. What are the typical explosives used by ETA, anyway?

Dynamite stolen (wink wink) from french construction sites..

[robjna]

Ok whose next on the al-queda harbor list?

time to take out Syria or somalia? HMMM such choices
pretty soon these idiots will figure out their bombing is having the exact opposite effect of its intentions

[philosofy123]

First, I have no problem respecting, and protecting the minority Moslems in the West if they feel that they are part of this society, and don't harbor allegiance to their homelands. Second, the Moslem citizens in the west are harboring and helping the terrorists. Third, their native lands do not respect or tolerate Christians.

As the world only superpower, do you suppose we should be dictated to by some ragheads that our soldiers should not wear the crucifix? Do you suppose, we should accept that Christians are not allowed to build churches in Saudi Arabia, as Saudi Arabia is funding the buildings of thousands of mosques in the West, and staffing them with radical wahhabis. I know, we are a nation of laws; well screw the laws for now, we HAVE A FIFTH COLUMN ON OUR HANDS!

[John H K]

If you look at the facts, this really looks a lot more like Muslims than Basques.

I'm dubious you know anything about the ETA at all, and I suspect the only "fact" you're looking it is the desire to have it be AQ rather than ETA.

What is somewhat annoying is I think there's been a mischaracterization of the ETA and their attack history by people who are first deciding they want this attack to have been perpetrated by AQ, and THEN attempt to assemble "facts" to support their assertion (which is a backwards way of analyzing anything, of course)

Basically, the ETA HAS attempted large-scale civilian mass casualty attacks before, but they kept getting caught before the attack was carried out.

Found an interesting CNN article:

"MADRID, Spain -- The Basque separatist group ETA had planned to target Madrid's tallest building as part of a foiled 1999 "Christmas massacre" attack, police revealed on Thursday. Police had thwarted the December 1999 attempt to blow up the Picasso Tower after discovering two vans packed with explosives, but it remained unclear what the target had been -- until this week. Police questioning two suspects arrested in connection with a Madrid car bomb on Tuesday were told that ETA had planned to hit the skyscraper, national police chief Juan Cotino said. The interior minister at the time of the interception, Jaime Mayor Oreja, had said ETA had planned a "Christmas massacre" in Madrid. The Picasso Tower is a 44-storey glass and steel building, home to 5,000 office workers, and located near a shopping centre. It was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, the man behind New York's World Trade Center. ETA suspect Ana Belen Egues, arrested in connection with Tuesday's bomb blast which injured 95 people, "admitted that it was planned for the vans to be placed at the Picasso Tower," Cotino said. Police had stopped one van on December 20, 1999, heading for Madrid loaded with 1,980 pounds of a chlorine compound used in explosives and 110 pounds of dynamite. The discovery led investigators three days later to a similar van abandoned in a hotel parking lot in northeastern Spain. It was packed with 1,650 pounds of explosives and a timer. Despite investigations, police had been unable to find out what the target had been. The police chief said the dynamite was probably stolen in France and smuggled into Spain."

[SoCal Pubbie]

" this was the exception rather than the norm"

Maybe this bombing was another exception.

[Red Boots]

First, I have no problem respecting, and protecting the minority Moslems in the West if they feel that they are part of this society, and don't harbor allegiance to their homelands.

I think that the Koran prohibits Moslems from living in non-Muslim lands, unless they're there to impliment the takeover of those lands. Muhammed himself said that two religions cannot share the same land, one must dominate the other. You guess which one.

[John W]

You haven't posted on this topic in a couple hours.Why would that be?