Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Question for all:

CNN reported that Spanish authorities found documentation that indicated the attack was planned in December.

Given the relatively quick design and implementation of this attack (which required a lot of coordination, money, and materials), has this blown the "rule of thumb" out of the water that something like this takes a year or more to consummate?

I think this is a significant detail that has gone unnoticed, and may give us a better idea of just how well-equipped and 'in tact' the AQ network really is...

Comments?

MRC:

CBS Evening News Ignores Own Poll Finding on Bush Leading Kerry

When a CBS News poll found John Kerry leading George W. Bush by
48 to 43 percent amongst registered voters, Dan Rather reported it
on the February 16 CBS Evening News, and when another CBS News
poll two weeks ago put Kerry up by a mere one point over Bush, by
47 to 46 percent with registered voters, the February 28 CBS
Evening News highlighted the finding. But on Monday, while the
CBSNews.com home page, for much of the afternoon and into the
evening featured the results of a new CBS News/New York Times
poll, with a headline which declared, "Bush Moves Ahead of Kerry,"
the CBS Evening News didn't utter a word about the new numbers
which put Bush up over Kerry by 46 to 43 percent with registered
voters.

For the March 16 New York Times story in full:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/16/politics/campaign/16POLL.html

"Poll: Bush Moves Ahead of Kerry" read the home page
headline at: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/home/main100.shtml

For the CBSNews.com rundown of the CBS News/New York Times
poll, see:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/15/opinion/polls/main606465.shtml

___________________________________________________

CBS Skips Hard-Left Agenda of Anti-War Protest It Publicizes

A small anti-war protest march across the street from the White
House generated a full CBS Evening News story on Monday night in
which reporter Bob Orr ignored the far-left political agenda of
the participants as he emphasized how they were just typical
relatives of those in the military, featured an interview with one
father in which he stressed how he was pro-war at one time and
painted them all as potential victims of the right-wing thought
police: "Now, at the risk of having their own patriotism
questioned..." Skipped over by Orr, the political agenda of the
leftist groups which organized the protest. The home page of
Military Families Speak Out features a politically-loaded screed
to Bush from a mother whose son was killed in Iraq: "While we who
have lost our loved ones have only tears to fill the empty space
where love and laughter lived, you and your Halliburton cronies
have found the oil wells and will undoubtedly keep your blood
stained gains."
__________________________________________________________

Stress Defeat for Bush in Spain Over Victory for Terrorists

The victory by the socialists in Spain in Sunday over the
ruling party which was in alliance with President Bush in the war
on terror is undoubtedly bad news for the Bush administration, but
coming just days after deadly terrorist attacks which evidence
links to al-Qaeda, it also represents a victory for the terrorists
and may encourage more such attacks shortly before elections in
democratic nations. But the networks chose to emphasize the bad
news for Bush over the good news for terrorists, getting to the
point about how it was good for terrorism only late in stories, if
at all.
The networks probably took their cue from a March 15 New York
Times front page "news analysis" by David Sanger, headlined, "Blow
to Bush: An Ally in Spain Is Rejected by Antiwar Voters" See:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/15/international/europe/15POLI.html
________________________________________________________

http://www.mediaresearch.org
Web site for Military Families Speak Out: http://www.mfso.org/

More here. I posted it earlier, but as you can see it didn't generate much interest.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1098770/posts

Deep in their Monday night reports, the ABC, CBS and NBC
reporters acknowledged the view that Bush's setback was a victory
for terrorism. Raddatz of ABC concluded her piece: "Some
administration officials say this is a victory for terrorists, not
a defeat for George Bush." CBS's Pizzey noted how "some experts
say was the first time a terrorist attack has brought down a
Western government." NBC's David Gregory relayed: "U.S. officials
worry the Spanish election has sent a message of comfort to al-
Qaeda."
________________________________________________________

More on March 15 coverage on ABC, CBS and NBC:

-- ABC's Good Morning America. Dan Harris led the program, the
MRC's Jessica Anderson noticed: "The question this morning, is
support for the U.S. occupation in Iraq dwindling among our allies
in Europe? Spain says it will withdraw its troops from Iraq by
this summer. ABC's Charles Glass has the latest now from Madrid."

Glass elaborated: "Spain's prime minister-elect, Jose Luis
Zapatero, swept the elections yesterday promising two things:
first, to withdraw Spain's 1300 troops from Iraq and then to
pursue the men who committed Thursday's train massacre. Zapatero
will take over an investigation that is beginning to turn up hard
evidence....Spain's new Socialist government hopes to avoid the
two mistakes that caused the right-wing governing party to lose
the election: first, support for the American war in Iraq and
second, the bungling of the investigation into the train deaths on
Thursday."
_________________________________________________________

-- CBS's Early Show. Allen Pizzey asserted from Madrid in his
lead story: "The overthrow of the right-wing Popular Party is
being called a surprise and punishment for its unswerving alliance
with Washington."
_________________________________________________________

Julie Chen set up the second story of the morning: "Meanwhile,
the attacks in Spain have added fuel to the already raging
political debate here at home over the war on terror. CBS News
correspondent Bill Plante is at the White House with more. Good
morning, Bill."

Plante began, as taken down by MRC analyst Brian Boyd: "Good
morning, Julie. It's bad news for the administration. Mr. Bush had
gone out of his way to praise Spain's former Prime Minister for
supporting the war against the opposition of so many in his
country. And Spain's presence in Iraq was an important if symbolic
member of the coalition....The withdraw of Spain's troops from
Iraq will not have a large impact on operations, but it will make
a large dent in the appearance of a cohesive coalition. Spain had
only 1,300 troops in Iraq but President Bush had counted former
Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar as a key supporter for the war.

"With the Spanish election underway as White House officials
spoke and many in Spain questioning their government's support for
the U.S. led war in Iraq, the administration was reluctant to
credit al Qaeda with the deadly bombings."

After soundbites from Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and
Donald Rumsfeld, Plante concluded by hinting about how the
terrorists won: "But the danger now after the Spanish attack is
the perception in many parts of the world that it worked and drove
the U.S. allies out. That is something that this administration
will now have to deal with."
_________________________________________________________

-- NBC's Today. Co-host Campbell Brown, the MRC's Geoff
Dickens observed, intoned: "The Spanish elections are seen as a
blow to the U.S. and to President Bush. The incoming Prime
Minister is vowing to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq. And many
are looking at this as retaliation for their involvement in the
first place. Stunning also because Prime Minister Aznar's party
was ahead in the polls just prior to those bombings, so a dramatic
turnaround here."
________________________________________________________

News reader Natalie Morales set up a story: "A huge political
upset in Spain just days after terrorists killed 200 people. The
government there is voted out of office. NBC's Tom Costello is in
Madrid with more. Tom, good morning."

Costello explained: "Natalie, good morning to you. As
investigators pick up more clues of a possible Al Qaeda link to
last Thursday's attacks here the White House has lost a key ally
from the war in Iraq. Spaniards who awoke this morning to
headlines and pictures of a new Prime Minister as the attacks that
killed 200 last Thursday claimed yet another victim, the
government itself. A huge win for Spanish socialists but a huge
loss for Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's party, ahead in the
polls until terrorists struck four days ago."

Unidentified man: "They have achieved what they were looking
for which is actually to have an impact and actually taking
another [inaudible] on the suffering of a lot of people."

Costello: "The turning point came Saturday night. Thousands of
Spaniards took to the streets outraged at the government and the
possibility they've been targeted because of Spain's support for
the U.S. war in Iraq. Spanish police have arrested five men
including a Moroccan with alleged links to known Al Qaeda
operatives now in Spanish prisons. But authorities have not yet
authenticated a videotape in which Al Qaeda purportedly claims
responsibility for the attacks."

Lorenzo Vidino, terrorism expert: "It's a major big, Al Qaeda
attack in Europe, if it's confirmed to be Al Qaeda, of course."

Costello: "The new socialist Prime Minister Jose Luiz
Rodriguez Zapatero is planning to pull all 1300 troops out of
Iraq, Spanish troops. He calls the situation there, 'a disaster.'
Natalie."
_________________________________________________________

-- ABC's World News Tonight. Peter Jennings teased up top: "On
World News Tonight, the Spanish Prime Minister says the occupation
of Iraq is a disaster and threatens to pull Spanish troops out of
the U.S.-led coalition. A major blow to the Bush administration."

Martha Raddatz soon reported: "Across Spain, massive rallies
celebrated victory and change. Voters clearly believed that last
week's gruesome train bombings were a response to Spain's support
for the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Today the new Prime Minister, Jose
Louis Rodriguez Zapatero, promised, as he did during his campaign,
that the Spanish troops in Iraq would now be coming home...."
Raddatz concluded: "Some administration officials say this is a
victory for terrorists, not a defeat for George Bush. But, Peter,
those who are responsible for the attacks likely see it both
ways."
_________________________________________________________

-- CBS Evening News. Dan Rather touted: "It was also a defeat
for President Bush because, as CBS's Allen Pizzey reports, the
incoming socialist Prime Minister says he's ready to make good on
a campaign promise."

Pizzey, in Madrid, ran through Zapatero's anti-Bush comments
before outlining how "the pledge to pull the troops out was part
of election campaigning even before the train bombings, but there
is concern that doing it now will be seen as giving into
terrorism, which is not what people here want. Voters rebelled
because many saw an attempt by the government to hide evidence
that al-Qaeda was behind last week's train bombings, which some
experts say was the first time a terrorist attack has brought down
a Western government."
___________________________________________________________

-- NBC Nightly News. From Madrid, Dawna Friesen related:
"Behind the stunned silence of people here is anger, a belief that
this happened because Spain's government supported the war in Iraq
and that turned this country into a target for terrorists."
Friesen also noted: "Italy is urging travelers to be vigilant.
Although its government supported the war, one newspaper declared
today: 'Madrid is the proof that Bush was wrong.'"
__________________________________________________________

From the White House, David Gregory asserted: "For the
President it was a major blow, forced to watch one of his closest
allies pay a steep price for supporting the U.S. decision to
invade Iraq..." Gregory, however, also passed along White House
concerns: "U.S. officials worry the Spanish election has sent a
message of comfort to al-Qaeda, something the President said last
Friday a vote for Prime Minister Aznar's party would not have
done."

Bush on Spanish TV: "He is a man who understands the war on
terror. Clearly knows the stakes and knows that we must never give
an inch to the terrorists."

Latin America in Crisis:
Castro's Power Grows

Read NewsMax’s special series on Latin America is written by Dr. Constantine C. Menges, a former top CIA official.

His warning about the growing threat of a new pro-Castro axis through the region follows:

There is growing but unnoticed threat to U.S. national security. A new terrorist, nuclear/bioweapons and geopolitical threat may well come from an axis including the regimes of Castro in Cuba, Chavez in Venezuela and the pro-Castro presidents of Brazil and Ecuador.

Together, these four countries have a population of 223 million.

Castro, Chavez, and Brazil’s President Lula da Silva all have years of links with Iran and China. Visiting Iran in May 2001, Castro said, "The peoples and governments of Cuba and Iran can bring America to its knees."

Chavez also visited Iran in 2001 where he declared a "strategic alliance" with that sponsor of terrorism.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/3/15/172232.shtml

Bean is too adorable, especially in Rat Race-
"Did I ween"?

This is why one day down the road LA will be right next to SF

has this blown the "rule of thumb" out of the water that something like this takes a year or more to consummate?

That's a good point. IN the case of Spain, the country was already riddled with AQ cells, so this may have made it easier for them.

In addition, I'm sure they're going to find connections with the domestic terrorist movement, ETA. The blasting caps were manufactured in Pais Vasco, and the Algerian arrested today was caught in San Sebastian, a Basque city, where he was involved in the drug trade and upon a drug arrest in January had threatened that hundreds of Spaniards were going to be killed in Madrid. ETA controls Pais Vasco very closely, and anybody who is involved in either the drug trade or terrorism up there certainly couldn't do it without ETA's consent. So I think having the existence of a home-grown terrorist network also contributed. (I still think OKC was a joint AQ-domestic operation, of course.)

I have never thought it took them years, in any case. They seem to have an "on demand" type of terrorism: lay the groundwork at their leisure, and then when the moment is right, strike. It just hasn't been that advantageous to them before to strike quickly. I think, alas, we're going to see a series of these strikes now. Just my paranoid opinion.

Makes me wanna...

When you consider the big picture, outsourcing is is the way to go, says Ima Beancounter of the US Government General Accounting Office. "It makes sense.

President Bush responded warmly to the idea. "This is just the sort of thing I've been talking about. Private industry and know-how can get things done. They don't get bogged down in regulations and partisan politics and bureaucracy. And best of all, this is isn't just private industry. It's a combination of private enterprise and my other favorite program, faith-based initiative. This is certainly a shining example of how faith and private enterprise can transform the world."

What about US Mr. President?

Then how about FIRING SQUAD?

Chunnel?

How is the security there? That thing could be attacked from the outside (divers, etc..).

NM.

The Chunnel is 131 feet below the seabed.

For our East Coast Friends {NY, NJ, Connecticut}:

http://www.EmergencyEmail.ORG/

A WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT.

AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES NE TOWARD WEST VA THIS
AFTERNOON.A SECONDARY LOW IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ALONG THE MID ATLANTIC COAST. WITH A COLD HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM NO. OF NEW ENGLAND.SNOW WILL SPREAD QUICKLY NE ACROSS THE REGION. HEAVY SNOW & STRONG GUSTY WIND WILL MAKE DRIVING HAZARDOUS THROUGH THIS EVENING.

AS A LAYER OF WARMER AIR DEVELOPS IN THE MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND WRAPS AROUND THIS SYSTEM.SNOW WILL MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN IN THE ADVISORY AREA AFTER 4 PM.

AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES SE OF LONG ISLAND TONIGHT.PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE BACK TO SNOW LATER TONIGHT ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA.
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ORANGE NY-PUTNAM NY-
1111 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST WEDNESDAY.

SNOW WILL FALL AT RATES UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL WILL BE LIGHTER AFTER 7 PM & MAY MIX WITH SOME SLEET. THE FORECAST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 6 TO 10 INCHES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO & OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SEVERE WINTER WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR. HEAVY SNOW AND/OR ICE ARE FORECAST TO ACCUMULATE IN THE AFFECTED AREAS CAUSING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. THOSE WITH TRAVEL PLANS IN THE WARNING AREA ARE ADVISED TO CHOOSE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE, OR SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION IF TRAVEL IS UNAVOIDABLE.

ANY TRAVEL IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. IF YOU LEAVE THE SAFETY OF BEING INDOORS, YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR LIFE AT RISK.
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BERGEN NJ-EASTERN PASSAIC NJ-NORTHERN FAIRFIELD CT-
NORTHERN WESTCHESTER NY-ROCKLAND NY-WESTERN PASSAIC NJ-
1111 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST WEDNESDAY.

SNOW WILL FALL AT RATES UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL WILL MIX WITH SLEET AFTER 5 PM & BECOME LIGHTER AFTER 7 PM. THE FORECAST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 5 TO 8 INCHES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO & OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.

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NORTHERN MIDDLESEX CT-NORTHERN NEW HAVEN CT-NORTHERN NEW LONDON CT-
1111 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST WEDNESDAY.

SNOW WILL FALL AT RATES UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL WILL MIX WITH SLEET & FREEZING RAIN AFTER 5 PM AND BECOME LIGHTER AFTER 7 PM. THE FORECAST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 5 TO 7 INCHES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO & OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.

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ESSEX NJ-UNION NJ-
1111 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST WED REMAINS IN EFFECT.

SNOW WILL FALL AT RATES UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL WILL MIX WITH SLEET & FREEZING RAIN AFTER 5 PM AND BECOME LIGHTER AFTER 7 PM. THE FORECAST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO & OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. ON THE INTERNET.GO TO WEATHER.GOV & CLICK ON THE LOCAL AREA.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NORMALLY ISSUED FOR A VARIETY OF WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS SUCH AS LIGHT SNOW.SLEET.& FREEZING RAIN. WHILE THE WEATHER WILL BE SIGNIFICANT.THE WORD ADVISORY IMPLIES THAT SEVERE WINTER WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED
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SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD CT-SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX CT-SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN CT-
SOUTHERN NEW LONDON CT-SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER NY-
1111 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST WED REMAINS IN EFFECT.

SNOW WILL FALL AT RATES UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL WILL MIX WITH SLEET & FREEZING RAIN AFTER 5 PM AND BECOME LIGHTER AFTER 7 PM. THE FORECAST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 4 TO 7 INCHES.
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BRONX NY-HUDSON NJ-KINGS (BROOKLYN) NY-NASSAU NY-
NY (MANHATTAN) NY-QUEENS NY-RICHMOND (STATEN IS.) NY-
1111 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST WED REMAINS IN EFFECT.

SNOW WILL FALL AT RATES UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL WILL MIX WITH SLEET & FREEZING RAIN AFTER 5 PM AND BECOME LIGHTER AFTER 7 PM. THE FORECAST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES.

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NORTHWEST SUFFOLK NY-SOUTHWEST SUFFOLK NY-
1111 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST WED REMAINS IN EFFECT.

SNOW WILL FALL AT RATES UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. IT WILL MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SLEET & FREEZING RAIN AFTER 5 PM & BECOME LIGHTER AFTER 7 PM. THE FORECAST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 5 INCHES.
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NORTHEAST SUFFOLK NY-SOUTHEAST SUFFOLK NY-
1111 AM EST TUE MAR 16 2004

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST WED REMAINS IN EFFECT.

SNOW WILL FALL AT RATES UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL WILL MIX WITH SLEET & RAIN AFTER 4 PM AND BECOME LIGHTER AFTER 7 PM. THE FORECAST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES.

I do it the old lady way ;)

I have an AQ text on my DT and copy/paste the post I left off at every time I come to this thread

I can't STAND the Western Liberal/Socialist/Communist/ fat, well fed, rich, Media JERKS!

Amen for the Aussie ;)

5 Madrid Suspects Reportedly Identified

By JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press Writers

MADRID, Spain - Police identified five new Moroccan suspects in the Madrid train bombings, a newspaper reported Tuesday, and the death toll rose to 201.

A French investigator told The Associated Press, meanwhile, that he had found a direct link between prime suspect Jamal Zougam and the spiritual leader of a clandestine extremist group believed involved in last May's deadly attacks in Casablanca, Morocco.

Police believe the five new Moroccan suspects took part in the bombings, the newspaper El Pais reported, without identifying them by name. Interior Ministry spokesman Juan de Dios Colmenero said he could not confirm the report.

Since the attacks, investigators have focused on Zougam, a Moroccan immigrant who was arrested Saturday with two other Moroccans and two Indians. El Pais said the Indians were released, although the government did not confirm that.

Incoming Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who was swept into power during elections Sunday, three days after the Madrid attacks, harshly criticized the Iraq war, which was supported by his predecessor, Jose Maria Aznar.

"I have said many times that the Iraq war was a great disaster, the occupation continues to be a disaster — it only generates more violence," Zapatero told radio station Cadena Ser on Monday.

Most Spaniards opposed Aznar's support of the Iraq war, and many believed he made Spain a target for terrorists by his pro-U.S. policies.

Police also said Tuesday they have detained an Algerian who allegedly talked about a terrorist attack in Madrid two months before it happened. Ali Amrous was picked up Monday in the Basque city of San Sebastian to learn if he had advance knowledge of Thursday's terrorist attacks in Madrid, police told the AP.

Amrous, an apparent indigent, was first arrested in January after a neighborhood disturbance and made the threatening comments while being questioned by police, saying that "we will fill Madrid with the dead," authorities said. They added that they doubted he was connected at a high level with any terrorist group but may have known about the attacks in advance.

He was expected to be brought to Madrid for questioning. Police said they did not believe Amrous had any contacts with the armed Basque separatist group ETA, which the government initially blamed for the attacks.

The death toll from Thursday's commuter train attacks in the Spanish capital rose to 201 with the death of a 45-year-old woman, authorities said. The toll is now one short of the 202 people killed in the 2002 nightclub bombing in Bali, Indonesia — the worst terrorist attack since Sept. 11.

A commemorative Mass for the victims was scheduled for Tuesday night at Madrid's Almudena Cathedral.

Zougam has already been identified by a Spanish judge as a follower of Imad Yarkas, the alleged leader of Spain's al-Qaida cell, who remains jailed on suspicion he helped plan the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

El Pais also reported that two Indians who are believed to have sold telephone cards to three arrested Moroccans were released. De Dios said he could not confirm the report.

The bombs were triggered by cell phones, and investigators were able to find and arrest the three Moroccans and two Indians on Saturday because a cell-phone card was found in an unexploded bomb and traced.

Investigators scrambled to learn the scope of the operation that carried out the Madrid attacks.

A possible link between them and Casablanca gained credibility Tuesday after French investigator Jean-Charles Brisard said he has found a direct tie between Zougam and Mohamed Fizazi, a spiritual leader of Salafia Jihadia, which allegedly was behind the Casablanca attack and which has been linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network.

The suicide bombings in Casablanca killed 33 people and 12 bombers.

In a telephone call with Yarkas that Spanish police monitored in August 2001, Zougam said he had met with Fizazi, who was among 87 people sentenced in Morocco last August in a trial that centered on the Casablanca attacks. Fizazi received a 30-year sentence.

The monitored call is cited in a 600,000-page report by investigative Judge Baltasar Garzon, who is probing the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, said Brisard, who spoke with the AP by telephone. Brisard has access to Garzon's documents because he is helping to probe the attacks for lawyers representing some of its victims' families.

The Garzon document says that in the monitored phone call, Zougam told Yarkas: "On Friday, I went to see Fizazi and I told him that if he needed money we could help him with our brothers," Brisard said.

Fizazi previously preached at a mosque in Hamburg, Germany, frequented by some of the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.

Zougam also has connections that possibly lead to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Moroccan official said. Al-Zarqawi is a key operative working with al-Qaida who has been blamed in attacks in Jordan, Iraq and elsewhere.

The other two arrested Moroccans are Zougam's half brother, Mohamed Chaoui, 34, and Mohamed Bekkali, 31.

Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported Monday that police found a witness who saw Zougam on a train that was bombed. But Interior Minister Angel Acebes said authorities had no knowledge of a witness.

The radio, quoting unidentified police sources, said the witness said he saw Zougam on the train headed for Madrid's Atocha station, leaning against a door.

Both Cadena Ser and the newspaper El Pais reported that police believe Zougam actually left bombs on the train. Ibanez said there was no proof of that.

Zougam's alleged associations to terror suspects date back more than a decade, when he was introduced to Abdelaziz Benyaich in 1993, Moroccan authorities said. Benyaich, who has dual French and Moroccan citizenship, was arrested in Spain in 2003 in connection with the Casablanca bombings.

Morocco is seeking Benyaich's extradition and claims he has had contact with al-Zarqawi, whom German authorities reportedly believe was appointed by al-Qaida's leadership to arrange attacks in Europe.

Moroccan officials also believe al-Zarqawi ordered the attacks in Casablanca, and U.S. officials blamed al-Zarqawi for March 2 bombings in Iraq that killed at least 181 Shiite Muslim pilgrims. The Jordanian militant also is believed to have been behind the 2002 killing of Laurence Foley, a U.S. aid worker in Jordan.

Authorities have been tracking Islamic extremist activity in Spain since the mid-1990s and say it was an important staging ground, along with Germany, for the Sept. 11 attacks.

No, it was from a post further back on this thread.

And simultaenous with the US, My God!

Your right it is a type of black wind, and if they can move butterflies why not locusts, anyone know how they develop and if they can be moved and bred?