Posted on 03/11/2004 2:37:48 PM PST by Smogger
A group claiming to be acting in the name of al Qaeda says it was behind today's devastating Madrid train bombings, which killed at least 192 people.
An email to the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper said the Brigade of Abu Hafs al-Masri was responsible for the worst terrorist attack on a European city since the second world war.
It also warned that a "big attack" on the US was "90% ready".
"The death squad (of the Abu Hafs Al-Masri Brigades) succeeded in penetrating the crusader European depths and striking one of the pillars of the crusader alliance - Spain - with a painful blow," the email said.
"We bring the good news to Muslims of the world that the expected 'Winds of Black Death' strike against America is now in its final stage...90 percent (ready) and God willing near," the letter said.
Bari Atwan, the newspaper's editor, told Sky News he was certain the claim was authentic.
Al-Masri, Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, was killed in the battle of Tora Bora during the war in Afghanistan.
The claim comes after investigators found an Arabic language tape with Koranic versus in a van carrying bomb detonators near Madrid.
The letter and the discovery of the van may throw into doubt the Spanish government's claim that the Basque separatist group Eta - rather than al Qaeda - was behind the multiple bombings, which also injured1,200 people.
"Because of this, I have just given instructions to the security forces not to rule out any line of investigation," Angel Acebes said.
But he stressed Eta was the main suspect.
Ten bombs went off this morning in a devastating wave of attacks on trains passing three different railway stations at the height of the Madrid's rush-hour.
Thousands of Spaniards held a huge silent protest in Bilbao this evening at the heart of Eta country.
The government said the bombs were probably set off by remote control at 4-5 minute intervals starting at 6.30am GMT.
Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar declared three days of mourning and told the nation the attacks were "mass murder".
"We will not back down in the face of terrorist killings," he said. "The perpetrators will be tried and convicted. We are targeting the total, complete and unconditional defeat of terrorism."
"We will succeed in finishing off the terrorist band," he added, employing the term used by the government to refer to Eta, but not naming it.
Mr Aznar vowed to go ahead with a scheduled general election on Sunday, although political parties have suspended campaigning.
US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair condemned the attacks, saying they underlined the need for international co-operation to fight global terror.
A total of 13 bombs were planted around the capital to target morning rush-hour rail commuters.
Three went off at the main Atocha station in central Madrid and four near to the station. Smaller stations were also hit - one bomb at Santa Eugenia and two at Pozo. Three further bombs were destroyed by authorities in controlled explosions.
The Spanish government said the bombs were made of a form of dynamite previously used by Eta.
Earlier, the leader of Eta's banned political wing Batasuna blamed the blasts on "Arab resistance". Arnaldo Otegi said he "refused to believe" Eta was responsible.
The scale of the attack, absence of a phone warning and lack of any claim of responsibility prompted speculation that Islamic terror group al Qaida was responsible.
In an audiotape released in the Arab world in October, a voice purported to be Osama bin Laden threatened nations that are helping the American occupation of Iraq.
"We reserve the right to respond at the appropriate time and place against all the countries participating in this unjust war, particularly Britain, Spain, Australia, Poland, Japan and Italy," the voice said.
Eta's worst previous atrocity killed 21 people in a bomb attack on a Barcelona supermarket in 1987.
They would have an easy time doing something like this here. Public places in America have no security at all, and if they do, its all a joke, including airport and airline security. Another reason is that the government has done a poor job informing the public about terrorism, what to do to prevent it and how to act during an attack. They should have been sending booklets with info to every household after 9/11. But they didn't. And this will cost the US in the future. An uninformed population is prone to more disaster.
Only a matter of time.
Today is modern Europes 9/11 , it puts the lie to the rat assertions that we are in this alone.
Our allies were attacked today, and apparently John Kerry doesn't know we have an ally in Spain.
Last Friday, this horse faced retard said:
We cannot win the War on Terror through military power alone. If I am President, I will be prepared to use military force to protect our security, our people, and our vital interests.
But the fight requires us to use every tool at our disposal. Not only a strong military – but renewed alliances, vigorous law enforcement, reliable intelligence, and unremitting effort to shut down the flow of terrorist funds.
To do all this, and to do our best, demands that we work with other countries instead of walking alone. For today the agents of terrorism work and lurk in the shadows of 60 nations on every continent. In this entangled world, we need to build real and enduring alliances.
Allies give us more hands in the struggle, but no President would ever let them tie our hands and prevent us from doing what must be done. As President, I will not wait for a green light from abroad when our safety is at stake. But I will not push away those who can and should share the burden.
Apparently Spain doesn't count as an ally to Kerry.
Only the Socialist Europeans count as allies to him.
Now why are we making that information available to the planet? It just gives AQ added incentive. They think they're in luck because John Kerry is running for President & he won't do anything to them...and they're probably right.
Because I am well aware there are many Islamic terror groups in the world. I could care less if its Al Queda or not. The US is at war with all of them, not just Al Queda. Let's wait and see which group did it. In Israel there was an attack once which Hamas claimed responsibility. After an investigation it was found that it was actually Fatah who provided the terrorist to committ it, and Hamas who provided the suicide belt. So let's not jump to simple conclusions yet concerning who did it. We must investigate it.
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