(Update) Death toll rises to 182 after Madrid blasts

Reuters ^ | 3/11/04

[areafiftyone]

MADRID, March 11 (Reuters) - The death toll rose to 182 from a series of explosions that ripped through crowded passenger trains during the rush-hour in Madrid on Thursday, Madrid regional officials said.

Some 900 were wounded, officials said.

Officials had previously put the death toll at 173.

Authorities blamed the attacks on Basque separatist group ETA, which is listed as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

[areafiftyone]

Prayers going out to the victims and their families! :-(

[KantianBurke]

tragic. people who were just on their way to work being killed. funny how leftists go nuts whenever a savage murderer is executed for his crimes but they can find all sorts of justifications and excuses for those who kill innocent men, women and children.

[bearkat]

Indeed... prayers out to the victims and their families. Americans can certainly empathize with their pain... at least those of us who haven't forgotten.

[areafiftyone]

people who were just on their way to work being killed

I woke up this morning to this news and saw the pictures and I thought to myself: What does this have earmarks of? 9/11. People on their way to work unaware of what was waiting for them. This has all the earmarks of Islamic terrorism. If this is Islamic terrorism than this is just a test for something bigger to come. I believe they are watching to see the impact of this and are going to try something similar in the U.S. All this talk about dirty bombs may just come true. I believe this is a sickening trial run. I have a feeling in my gut this is the work of Islamics.

[2banana]

This happened three days before an election...makes you wonder how it will affect them...also makes you wonder if the same thing is going to happen in the USA.

[areafiftyone]

You are right - read my post #4.

[Prodigal Son]

They just caught ETA a few weeks ago with a truck load of explosives trying to get into Madrid.

This has all the earmarks of ETA as well.

[sockmonkey]

whose to say ETA and Al-Queda didn't team up?

My thought, too - The enemy of my enemy is my friend thing.

[areafiftyone]

Wasn't there an election on 9/11? I distinctly remember an election on that day in NYC!

[MediaMole]

9/11 was the NYC mayoral primary. It was rescheduled.

[annyokie]

Sadly, if you think this is bad, wait until the summer Olympics in Greece. Trial run, is correct, I fear.

[GHCubana]

I hope this terrorist act will help Spain reconsider its support of the Fidel Castro dictatorship who welcomes ETA terrorists with open arms.

[Prodigal Son]

Who says they did?

I don't think it's wise to jump to any conclusions.

At any rate, terrorists are terrorists in my book. I see not one iota of difference between the IRA, ETA PLO or Al Qaeda.

They all have various ties to one another and they all need to be eliminated from the face of the Earth.

[pepsionice]

While I immedately thought ETA...I really don't see their marks either. ETA usually wants front page coverage, and a simple car bomb does that, with 2 or 3 deaths. To kill 182 people...this would increase a tremendous amount of pressure to kill off the ETA and Basque leadership. I can't see these Basque dudes being that stupid. I do see an awful lot of similiar traits with middle east terrorists. I think we ought to be careful about who to blame for this episode.

[AmishDude]

whose to say ETA and Al-Queda didn't team up?

There is no link. You can't prove any link between them. Well, there's no direct link. The Spanish government is just using this to go after poor little innocent ETA. </ravinglunaticliberal>

[AmishDude]

Sadly, if you think this is bad, wait until the summer Olympics in Greece. Trial run, is correct, I fear.

I think that's why they threw out the socialists. When the going gets tough, you want adults in charge.

[alloysteel]

Who says that ETA has very much to do with it? This is a smaller 9/11, exerted on what was considered to a softer target than any in the US. Perhaps the better comparison would be to the attacks of US embassies in Africa.

Al-Qaeda trying to draw attention AWAY from Afghanistan and Pakistan. We should hope, that Spain does not treat this as a law enforcement problem.