Suspect in Madrid Bombing Lived in Germany

"Spiegel-Online" ^ | March 25, 2004 | "Spiegel-Online"

[longjack]

March 25, 2004

TERRORIST ATTACKS IN MADRID

Suspect from Hesse Arrested

In the investigation into the terrorist attacks in Madrid, authorities have hit upon their first clues leading to Germany. At least one of the three suspects Spanish police arrested on Wednesday shall have lived for years in Hesse. Chief Federal Prosecutor Nehm has taken up the case.

AP

Arrests in Madrid: Clues leading to Germany?

Hamburg - The Spanish police have come a step further in the search for the ringleaders of the attacks on three commuter trains in Madrid. As the Spanish Department of the Interior announced on Thursday evening, three more persons have been  arrested.

The suspects from Northern Africa shall have been picked up in the greater Madrid area. One of the men is a Moroccan who has lived in a large Hessian city for quite some time. Spanish investigators have only confirmed that one of the suspects was registered occasionally in Germany. According to the "Welt", the man was  registered by the authorities as a particularly violent and dangerous, islamic criminal. With the most recent arrests, 19 suspects are in police custody

According to a correspondent from ARD, though, the five men arrested so far are only suspected of having supplied logistical help for the devastating attacks on March 11. This report hasn't been confirmed thus far, though.

The news station n-tv reported, referencing secret service circles, that the attacks shall have also been prepared for in Germany. A spokeswoman for the Federal Criminal Investigation Agency in Wiesbaden declined to comment on it this evening. In explaining her reasons, she referred to the on-going preliminary investigation by the Chief Federal Prosecutor in connection with the attacks in Madrid. Chief Federal Prosecutor Kay Nehm has taken up the case.

The bomb attacks killed 190 people on four suburban trains in Madrid, more than 1500 were injured. On Wednesday evening examining magistrate Juan Del Olmo issued warrants against two further suspects. Among them was, for the first time, a woman. The newspaper "El Mundo" reported that the Moroccan Naima Oulad may be able to provide possibly important information for the investigators in their search for the terrorists.

The police assume that the woman knows all the terrorists who had been involved in the attacks. A brother of the Moroccan is in police custody and should be brought before the examining magistrate on Friday. The woman herself denied having any thing to do with the attacks.

Moroccan terror experts assume that the Jordanian Abu Musab Sarkawi could have given the order for the attacks. At present the follower of terrorist chief Osama bin Laden is participating, according to information from the Spanish newspaper "El País", in armed actions against the occupation forces in Iraq. The Moroccan Abdelkarim Mejjati could have functioned as the intermediary between Sarkawi and the terror command in Madrid. The 36-year-old shall have been involved in the attacks in May 2003 in Casablanca with 45 dead, then went underground.

© SPIEGEL ONLINE

2004 "Spiegel-Online"....Verdächtiger aus Hessen festgenommen

Translated by longjack

 

 

[longjack]

Ouch.

Of particular note in the 4th paragraph in the body of the article. n-tv says the attack was prepared in Germany. The german word vorbereitet was used. I really couldn't translate that as planned, it is really more like prepare for or get ready for.

Anyway, haunting memories of 911 again.

longjack

[longjack]

German Ping.

[lonewacko_dot_com]

"The Moroccan Abdelkarim Mejjati could have functioned as the intermediary between Sarkawi and the terror command in Madrid. The 36-year-old shall have been involved in the attacks in May 2003 in Casablanca with 45 dead, then went underground."

See http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3212,36-358169,0.html">http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3212,36-358169,0.html
and
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2003/09/04/176283-ap.html

[livius]

Thanks for posting this. I saw a little fragmentary announcement about it in the Spanish press today, but they didn't have any details.

This was obviously a very big operation.

[longjack]

Mother was French, father Moroccan, according to "Le Monde".

I wonder why the papers call him Moroccan rather than French-Morroccan? Do you know?

longjack

[longjack]

Yes, it does seem to have been big.

"Spiegel" mentions "Die Welt" and n-tv in the article, so it seems like the German press is going after this story. "Spiegel ran it as the first article on their page.

No comment from the Feds because of on-going investigations about the runours it was prepared for in Germany. Didn't Janet Reno say that once?

longjack

[syriacus]

Good thing the European countries are going to step-up the co-ordination of their efforts.

[syriacus]

Spanish police arrest five more suspects over Madrid bombings[excerpt]

MADRID :

German press reports meanwhile said that up to three suspects arrested in Spain had lived in Germany where they were long known to security officials for their "readiness to resort to violence".

Citing German federal police BKA and the intelligence agency BND ntv television said three suspects who were detained Wednesday had lived in the central state of Hesse for years.

Top federal prosecutor Kay Nehm is looking into the cases, media reports added.

Contacted by AFP, the federal police and the intelligence agency would not comment on the reports.

N-tv said German intelligence agents suspect the men of belonging to a larger group of extremists resident of several German regions and notably those close to the border with France.

According to German intelligence reports about 270 potential Muslim terrorists live in Germany, with up to 200 having undergone training in special camps.

[An.American.Expatriate]

So, once again, it seems that Germany was used as a safe haven by KNOWN "violent extremists" to prepare a terrorist act. Of course, none of these people will have "known" what they were planning, so, if ever tried in Germany, they will be charged with some misdemeanor or let free. BTW - isn't it wonderful to see that Germany has tightened it's internal security so much?

[longjack]

In keeping with your last post: The recent report from "Spiegel" below re-iterates the information in your link.

More importantly: "Spiegel" questions if the attacks were planned in Germany. They definitely use geplant (planned) today, rather than the vorbereitet (prepared) from yesterday.

The German press is going after this story. If they find the Madrid bombing was actually planned in Germany, I'm sure all hell will break loose over there.

---

26. März 2004

GERMAN TERROR-LEADS

Police search apartment in Darmstadt

Were the Madrid terrorist attacks planned in Germany? One of the alleged perpetrators shall have lived in Hesse during the last months. The Prosecuting attorney's office and police searched the apartment of the suspect in Darmstadt on Thursday evening.

Berlin - The Darmstadt suspect had been arrested in Spain on Wednesday. According to information in the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", it is a man born in 1975 who presumably is from Morocco. The newspaper refers to sources inside Berlin security circles.

The suspect, according to the details, enrolled in the area of electrical engineering at the University of Darmstadt in the winter semester of 2003 and moved into an apartment in the Hessian city. Police and prosecuting attorney's office have already searched the apartment, they said.

ARD - "Tagesthemen" [TV news show, longjack] reported that it was the apartment of a friend, with whom man has stayed at times, which had been searched. A second man arrested in Madrid is known to the German authorities, reported "Tagesthemen" further.

The news station n-tv reported that the men have stayed legally in Germany for years and are known to the German authorities as terror-prone extremists.

At first, the details weren't confirmed from official sides. Neither the Federal Criminal Investigation Agency (BKA) nor the Federal Intelligence Agency (BND) commented on the reports. A BKA spokeswoman referred to the on-going preliminary inquiries by the Chief Federal Prosecutor in connection with the attacks in Madrid.

In the Spanish capital, the Department of the Interior confirmed the arrest of three suspects on Wednesday. From official circles it was said that three Moroccans have been arrested in the greater Madrid area, or in the village of Ugena, 35 kilometers south of the capital. Tt was reported that their apartments were still being searched, and they would be interrogated on Monday. In addition, two more persons were caught in the area of the capitol on Thursday. After the recent arrests, 18 suspects are in police custody. Arrest warrants have been issued against eleven.

© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2004

"Spiegel-Online"....Polizei durchsucht Wohnung in Darmstadt

Translated by longjack

[longjack]

I really think that if the bombing was actually planned in Germany, it will be the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Spiegel" is pretty careful with their wording, which is why I emphasized the differences in 'preparing' and 'planning' in the posts above. It seems to me that "Spiegel" and the rest of the German press is really going to go after the planning issue.

I just don't think the German populace is going to repeatedly put up with the rap that bombings were planned in their country. 911, now maybe 311, planned on their watch?

I just don't think they'll put up with it.

longjack

[An.American.Expatriate]

I can only pray that you are right.

I first saw this reported last night on the teletext from various stations. It was quite clear from them that this was VERY similar to the pre-9/11 "planning" which occured in Hamburg.

the FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) also has some details, inclding that at least one appartment was searched in the Darmstadt area and that more were to follow. http://www.faz.net/s/Rub28FC768942F34C5B8297CC6E16FFC8B4/Doc~EAEDC58CBFFC34B628B46E2F3FD79E082~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html

Don't have time to translate at the moment . . .

[longjack]

OK.

Here's a paragraph from a "FAZ" report. They seem to be more agressive than "Spiegel". "FAZ" is saying they are directly involved in planning the attack. I translated what I felt was the pertinent paragraph.

---

The, or those, one(s) arrested have been known for some time to be islamic extremists and potential assassins, according to television reports. They have been directly involved in the planning of the March 11th attacks. They have had connections to radical Islamic Hamas and other extremist groups. The clues don't lead just to Hesse, but to other German states as well, according to the television reports.

The terrorism expert Udo Ulfkotte said in n-tv that a Syrian and persons of other nationalities, who lived in Hesse, are also involved in the matter. The operation against them is forthcoming.

"FAZ"....Spur der Madrider Anschläge führt nach Deutschland

---

Ironically, the "FAZ" link you posted leads to a page where all the articles are peeing and moaning about the US's veto of the UN resolution condemning Israel's attack on Yassin. Yet the article about the Madrid bombing says the terrorist suspects who lived in germany had connections to Hamas.

Sooner or later one has to hope these people can connect the dots.

longjack

[longjack]

Have you and your guys seen this?

longjack

[An.American.Expatriate]

LOL, just caught that about the link as well - was reading that link as I was posting my response (whack me with a wet noodle).

Still no reports of the people rising up a demanding Schroeder's head (or Schilly's for that matter) - the germans are going to roll over and accept some feel-good lie (probably somehow blaming Bush) and that will be that.

[longjack]

If they do roll over and figure out some comfortable way to rationlize this it won't be because the press isn't trying.

I wonder what "Bild" is saying about it. They have a pretty good pulse on the man in the street's reaction.

I'll take a look. If I'm not back in a while it's the "chick on page 1"'s fault :>)

longjack

[An.American.Expatriate]

The Greens are saing - we have to live with this in a democracy - blah blah. One of them posting suggested "Muslims raus" and is being roundly pounded . . .

[lainde]

bttt

[lainde]

That thought struck me too. hain, AGermany seems to be a launching pad. I'm surprised other than Richard Reid we haven't had more problems from British Islamics. Reading the papers they seem to be very militant in England.

[An.American.Expatriate]

Just had a look through the forums by the greens and by the ARD -

NOT ONE MENTION of consequences for those responsible for security in Germany - indeed, there are a lot of, well it's no happening here (terrorist acts), so who cares. One poster even goes so far as to say it is of no consequence if the terrorists win the war!!

As I said, no outrage to be found anywhere!