Spain Allegedly Misled Germany Over Bombings

Deutsche Welle ^ | March 17, 2004 | DW staff

[jpthomas]

Did Aznar (left) deceive European allies after the bombings?

Spanish authorities intentionally withheld information and misled German officials into believing the Basque separatists ETA were responsible for the Madrid bombings, according to Germany's federal criminal bureau.

In the days following the March 11 terror attacks that killed 201 people in Madrid, Spain's intelligence authorities kept a tight seal on evidence related to the investigation and misled allied intelligence services by providing false information pointing to involvement by the ETA, German public television reported Tuesday.

Citing a source in Germany's federal criminal bureau (BKA), the national ARD station said Spanish investigators initially told a liaison official for the German intelligence service that the explosive used in the train bombs was Titadyn, a material frequently employed by the ETA in the past. Later they said it was Goma 2 Eco dynamite, an explosive the Spanish authorities claimed was also used by ETA.

It wasn't until Monday, a day after Spain's conservative government suffered a surprising loss in the general election, that officials in Madrid admitted Goma 2 explosives were not a type previously used by the Basque separatists.

German officials were also not informed until after the election that the detonator found with the explosives was not a type used by ETA. Moreover, after the arrest of three Moroccans and two Indians on Saturday, Spanish authorities continued to tell the German source in Madrid that a connection to Islamic circles could not be confirmed.

Intentionally misleading?

An unnamed high-ranking security official told ARD that such blatantly false information from an allied intelligence service was "beyond his imagination." For the German authorities, whose task it was to evaluate their own country's risk in the days following the attacks, the evidence about the explosives was the main reason why the BKA assumed ETA was behind the bombings.

Outgoing Spanish premier Jose Maria Aznar has been criticized from all sides for his attempts to pressure the media into blaming the Basque separatists rather than raising suspicion of Islamic extremists. Only after a videotape in Arabic was found claiming the blasts were the work of al Qaeda did media attention and public opinion steer away from the official line. At the same time, though, Aznar repeatedly pointed his finger at ETA and his interior ministry continued to cite evidence linking the attacks to the regional terror group.

"It was ETA. Do not doubt it for a moment," Aznar was quoted as telling Spanish journalists in personal phone calls urging them to print his statements.

Spain's interior minister Angel Acebes defended his government's information policy. "We always told the Spanish people the truth," he insisted.

The defeat of Aznar's party in the polls has been blamed to a large extent on the perception that the government manipulated information about the attacks to boost its chances in the election. Involvement by ETA in the bombings would have lent more support to the ruling party, which built its platform on high profile arrests of the Basque separatists.

German minister unhappy with Spain

German Interior Minister Otto Schily (photo) had already hinted on Sunday that Berlin was unhappy with Spain's lack of cooperation and withholding of information following the attacks.

German intelligence services only received the information from their Spanish colleagues after "some delay," the minister said, adding that "we obviously would have preferred to have been informed about certain details at an earlier stage than was the case."

The BKA also complained that Madrid restricted the sharing of information. In an internal document dated Sunday, the German criminal bureau wrote that Spanish authorities "are being very circumspect about concrete information in view of the imminent election. It would be desirable to have an open and trusting information policy."

[jpthomas]

This is how the major German media is portraying what happened in Spain. It seems altogether too convenient and contrived to me. Germany and France are delighted at the change in government in Spain -- it increases their changes of getting the EU constitution ratified with the major provisions they want put in place.

If on the other hand the Spanish government did indeed deliberately mislead to the extent purported here, then they deserved to lose the confidence of the people.

Can any of our European Freepers shed more light on this?

[eno_]

Aznar made a serious mistake. Yes, the Spanish populace turned into surrender monkeys, but Aznar did himself no favors.

[Guillermo]

You got it.

They panicked, and it bit them in the azzznar.

[lonewacko_dot_com]

See this report from Fri 12 March, 2004 15:04 (presumably that's GMT or I guess 4 or 5pm Spanish time)

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=474912&section=news

"Rucksack bombs used in deadly Madrid train bombings were set off by mobile phone and contained copper detonators, which are not generally used by armed Basque separatist group ETA, a radio station has reported... The Interior Ministry could not immediately confirm the report."

So, the Germans might be telling a half-truth about that point. "German officials were also not informed until after the election that the detonator found with the explosives was not a type used by ETA." They might not have been informed, but it would appear that information was out there.

[livius]

I think it might not have been handled well, but I suspect it was probably an attempt to prevent panic rather than anything more malicious. After all, one of the big triumphs of Aznar's time in office was the capture of many ETA leaders - last year, ETA killed only three people, its lowest total ever. So why would he want it to look as if ETA had gotten the ultimate revenge on him just before the election?

Also, the fact that ETA members had been caught trying to load suitcase and knapsack bombs onto Madrid bound trains just 2 months ago, and that they had also been caught just the week before trying to bring a van load of explosives into Madrid would certainly lead to the impression that they were trying to stage an attack on trains in Madrid.

AQ, on the other hand, had never said anything about attacking Spain, other than Bin Laden's comments about Al Andalus.

However, people are much more afraid of AQ than ETA, and I think it was reasonable not to rush out and blame AQ before there was even any reliable information of its involvement.

I think what you really have to attribute it to is the leftist and media spin. The very day after, there were members of the usual "peacenik" crowd standing around holding signs blaming Aznar for making Spain a target of AQ; the left really, really wanted it to be AQ so they could say this.

I still think it will be found that ETA was involved, possibly by supplying the materials. (Both the blasting caps and the explosives were manufactured in the Basque Country.)

[mtbopfuyn]

Germany whining because they were misled by Spain? Oh, puleez, they're tickled pink with situation.

[eno_]

but I suspect it was probably an attempt to prevent panic rather than anything more malicious

And if we find that our government lied about AA587? So what if it was to "prevent panic?"

It's the Internet age. Lies need to be better-crafted these days.

[beelzepug]

"Aznar did himself no favors."

Is this, by chance, Spanish for Asner, a word which means people who say things to make themselves look stupid in public? Sort of the way the Moors were fat, bearded, disgusting people from Morocco whose decendants make movies like "Lying For Columbine?"

[JasonC]

Commies covering for the lies of other commies. The Spanish government told the world what it knew when it knew it. We knew instantly about Koranic verses in a van. They arrested Moroccans before the vote. The entire line that they tried to deceive is a lie, left spin, an allegation for political advantage without anything to back it up. They are trying to criminalize not being omniscient the day after a terrorist attack.

[JasonC]

It was neither, it was simply what they honestly thought at the time, from limited evidence. ETA terrorists had been caught trying to move explosives the previous month. They have tried to hit trains late last year. It was a natural supposition. But there was no misleading and no withholding anything. We knew instantly when they found things out - the van, the tapes, the Moroccan suspects, etc. The outgoing government caught people tied to AQ, before the election. It is absurd to pretend they hide a damned thing. The left is just lying straight to our face about that. They thought AQ benefited them and wanted it to be AQ, said so, and preemptively accused the government of wanting otherwise and lying about it, when it simply did not such thing.

[JasonC]

hide = hid. Not = no. Typos, sorry.

[livius]

I think so, too. Of course, the media supports the left, so naturally, they had little trouble getting their lies out.

I got the saddest letter from some friends in Spain today, who are just humiliated by this and very, very upset by it. We have to remember that 10 million Spaniards did NOT vote for the Socialists.

[livius]

I don't think it was a lie. As soon as information came in, it was released.

I don't think there was any reason to leap at AQ involvement and set off hysteria before anything was even really known about it. It was more reasonable to think it was ETA, and there was no point in starting wild rumors until a little more information had come in.

[jwalsh07]

These people are simply lunatics. Ansar al Islam, an Al Qaeda group in Iraq , is not evidence of jihadists but Spain not knowing that jihadists did the deed 12 hours after the deed is evidence of malfeasance.

Lunaticville.

[McGavin999]

I'm not falling for this. This is a set up. The socialists have long tried to work things out with ETA. Watch for an effort to have the ETA removed from the terrorists lists, followed by a bit for their own country.

[nkycincinnatikid]

Jesus F Chr... you know what I mean.. we are talking hours here, after a terorist attack invited upon Spain by the german and french governments. schroeder is jealous of Aznars un blackened unpomaded hair. When Goebbels dictated public opinion the people used that as an excuse, what is the excuse now .

[StriperSniper]

Also, the fact that ETA members had been caught trying to load suitcase and knapsack bombs onto Madrid bound trains just 2 months ago, and that they had also been caught just the week before trying to bring a van load of explosives into Madrid would certainly lead to the impression that they were trying to stage an attack on trains in Madrid.

AQ, on the other hand, had never said anything about attacking Spain, other than Bin Laden's comments about Al Andalus.

This was what I first heard that led Aznar's government to suspect ETA rather than AQ. The reason AQ was first suspected was the massive human loss and the coordination of the bombs(which was my first thought, not knowing about the prior attempts).

What this story says to me, is that the anti-Bush jihad is working on an international scale. It is the same method of attack being used on an ally of GWB. It is actually an easy line of attack since it's complexity goes right over the head of the sheeple. Maybe Aznar held off some number of hours hoping that it was ETA rather than AQ for his political wishes, but considering how he is being punished for being wrong in the first 72 hours, that may be just the reason he held off. We still don't know for sure today everyone involved, it could still turn out that the earlier foiled attempts were test runs ETA did for AQ, we just don't know yet.

I hope in the end Aznar is vindicated by the complete story. He was a strong ally, and his Ambassador(granted probably biased) today pointed to his many economic successes during his time in office.

[Publius6961]

I happen to believe that the Germans aren't stupid. Why would they ask (and expect a definitive answer) as to who is responsible for an atrocity just hours after the event?
Makes no sense. Looks like the spinners in Europe are no more rational than the domestic variety. Oh well.