(BREAKING) ARABIC TAPE AND DETONATORS FOUND IN VAN IN MADRID - SPANISH MINISTER

Reuters ^ | 11 march, 2004 | Skynews

[Eurotwit]

Sky News just reported that a Spanish minister has just announced that an arabic tape (?) and detontator where found in a van in Madrid.

[Coop]

Yes, it's possible that this is a cooperative effort between the Islamists and ETA, but I'm still leaning towards the Islamic angle.

I view it as quite likely, not just possible. Al Qaeda considers itself a sort of consultant for terrorism, if you will. It often uses resources of other organizations (Abu Sayyaf, Jemaiah Islamiyah) to conduct its attacks. In essence, they hire these orgs out as subcontractors, so to speak.

[Moose4]

Mmmm, Mufridoons, I always liked a nice plate of those with a cold glass of milk when I was a kid...

...oh, wait, those were Lorna Doones, not Mufridoons. My bad.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Spaniards may have been targeted because they are allies of ours in this fight. But here's a message to the Axis of Weasels: Your turn will come. Appeasing these bastards only means that you're the last ones to feel the sword at the back of your neck.

}:-)4

[NeoCaveman]

Bush knew.

They failed to connect the dots.

[Ignatius J Reilly]

It does provide the opportunity to claim (with this as proof) that the world is not safer from terrorists as a result of actions in Iraq. Just wait, this will be spun to reflect poorly on Bush

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

Big or little satan aside, it should be remembered that Spain is occupied Arab land, much like the little country in the middle east.

[kaylar]

Here's a bit more on the origin of that term...Maybe the motives can be gleaned from comments like this:

Abu Bakr ibn al-`Arabi writes in 'SharH SaheeH Tirmidhi', Book 45 (da`awaat), Ch. 4: "If it is said that the times have become so corrupt that there is nothing better than isolating oneself, we say: one isolates oneself from people in one's actions, while he keeps mixing with them with his physical body, however, if he cannot succeed, then at that time he isolates himself from them physically but without entering into monasticism (ya`taziluhum bi badanihi wa la yadkhulu fi al-rahbaaniyya) which is condemned and rejected by the Sunna."]

[Coop]

Pretty soon the whole world will be behind Bush and the international war on terrorists.

I'm not holding my breath on that one. The critics, if they haven't started already, will soon be blaming President Bush for "blackmailing" Spain into participating in the war on terror against its will, or some nonsense like that.

[Iberian]

Shep just broke the story on Fox.

[BushMeister]

The text below is from a Basque website. The guy seems to be a Basque language expert. Something freom the Basque perspective:

Q20. Why has there been all this trouble in the Basque Country?

A20. That's a long story. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Basque provinces, north and south, were largely self-governing, and they had a vigorous tradition of local democracy. Over time, of course, Basque autonomy came under increasing pressure from Paris and Madrid. In the north, Basque rights were abruptly swept away by the French Revolution. In the south, autonomy lasted longer, but in the 19th century it came under attack from centralist governments in Madrid, leading to major civil wars on two occasions and to the enforced removal of the traditional Basque rights.

From the late 19th century, the Spanish Basques, fearing for their language and their culture, began pressing for reforms and for greater autonomy. This strictly peaceful campaign was interrupted by the installation of a right-wing dictatorship in Spain in the 1930s, but regained its momentum after the restoration of democracy. But then a military coup in 1936 led to the Spanish Civil War and to the establishment of a brutal Fascist dictatorship in Spain under General Franco. The Basques, who had fought against the Fascists during the war, suffered terribly during the war and under the subsequent Fascist oppression: quite apart from the death and destruction caused by the war itself (including the deliberate destruction of two Basque cities by Hitler's air force), the Basques found themselves singled out for particular vengeance by Franco. Basque soldiers and politicians who had not managed to flee into exile were imprisoned, condemned to forced labor, tortured, and often shot; all outward signs of Basque identity were prohibited, and the very speaking of Basque was declared illegal.

Permitted no legal voice, the Basques gradually began to organize clandestinely to discuss what might be done. A student discussion group founded in 1953 and originally called EKIN changed its name in 1959 to ETA and began to contemplate more active resistance. At first ETA was in no way violent, but every attempt at a political gesture was met by savagery from the Spanish police and courts: arbitrary arrests, routine beatings and torture, and long jail sentences. Eventually ETA took the plunge into violence of its own and began assassinating known torturers and murderers among the Spanish authorities. The police reacted with ever greater violence of their own: uniformed police tortured and murdered Basques with complete impunity, death squads composed of off-duty policemen carried out further murders, and there were armed attacks on whole communities described by foreign observers as "police riots".

Faced with such violence, ETA gradually became ever less choosy in its targets, and began gunning for any police or soldiers they could get at. In a technically expert operation which would prove to have far-reaching consequences, ETA managed to assassinate Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, the anointed heir of the aging Franco. As a result, when Franco finally died in 1975, a democratic government took control in Madrid; elections were held, and the Basque Autonomous Government was set up in 1979, with wide-ranging powers.

This outcome satisfied most people in the Basque Country, and most of the members of ETA quietly left the organization to resume normal lives. But a modest number of hard-core members remained, and continued a program of increasing violence all over Spain, in the hope of obtaining complete independence for the Basque Country. Army officers became favorite targets, and bombs were placed in popular tourist resorts with the intention of damaging the valuable tourist industry; even the new Basque police force came under attack. The new governments in both Madrid and the Basque Country made vigorous efforts to put a stop to this violence, but so far they have enjoyed only partial success. And that's where things stand today.

[nickcarraway]

Based on how often a modern roof has to be prepared, maybe they have the right idea...

[conservativecorner]

Every time I see terrorist acts like this one I have to go back to the article below. Kerry would doom this nation!

Kerry says threat of terrorism is exaggerated


By Brian DeBose
THE WASHINGTON TIMES



GREENVILLE, S.C. — Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts said during last night's Democratic presidential debate that the threat of terrorism has been exaggerated.
"I think there has been an exaggeration," Mr. Kerry said when asked whether President Bush has overstated the threat of terrorism. "They are misleading all Americans in a profound way."
The front-runner for the Democratic nomination said he would engage other nations in a more cooperative fashion to quell terrorism.
"This administration's arrogant and ideological policy is taking America down a more dangerous path," Mr. Kerry said. "I will make America safer than they are."
All seven remaining Democratic White House hopefuls clashed on stage here last night for 90 minutes in the final debate before seven states, including South Carolina, hold primaries or caucuses Tuesday.
NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw moderated the debate, sponsored by the Young Democrats of Furman University and held in the university's Peace Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Greenville.
Sen. John Edwards, who was born in this state and has said he must win here, took the first opportunity to disagree with Mr. Kerry, the victor in both the binding Democratic contests held so far — the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.
"It's just hard for me to see how you can say there's an exaggeration when thousands of people lost their lives on September 11," Mr. Edwards said.
But Mr. Edwards, who represents North Carolina in the Senate, added that while national security is important, Mr. Bush has ignored other pressing issues.
"The president of the United States actually has to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time," he said.
Howard Dean, the former front-runner who is struggling to regain the edge in his campaign, criticized the Bush administration for the Patriot Act, which he said has gone too far toward eroding individual liberties.
"I think in some ways, unfortunately, the terrorists have already won," he said.
Mr. Dean, a physician, also fired several broadsides at Mr. Kerry, livening up the debate.
"Senator Kerry is the front-runner, and I mean him no insult, but in 19 years in the Senate, Senator Kerry sponsored 11 bills dealing with health care, and not one of them passed," the former governor of Vermont said. "If you want a president who will get results, I suggest that you look at somebody who did get results in my state."
Replied Mr. Kerry: "One of the things that you need to know as president is how things work in Congress if you want to get things done.
"One of the things that happens in Congress is you can, in fact, write a bill. But if you're smart about it, you can get it on someone else's bill that doesn't carry your name," he said.
Mr. Dean said testimony and interviews within the past week from weapons inspector David Kay prove that Saddam Hussein's Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction. He also said Vice President Dick Cheney met with CIA intelligence gatherers and trumped up the intelligence to force the country to war.
"We now know that Vice President Cheney sat down with top CIA officials and berated them because he didn't like their intelligence reports; that is the kind of thing I expected and why I opposed the war," Mr. Dean said.
Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut was the only candidate who supported the war in Iraq, and credited the U.S. victory with breakthroughs on the diplomatic front.
"I seriously doubt Libya would have given up its weapons of mass destruction program if not for this war, and it is a shame that the questions about the intelligence have unfortunately given a bad name to a good war," Mr. Lieberman said.
The North American Free Trade Agreement received attention from the candidates, with Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio denouncing the pact outright, while others stated that they wanted to amend the program to focus on workers' rights.
The Rev. Al Sharpton of New York won the loudest applause of the night when he denounced Greenville for not celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday as a holiday and the state for flying the Confederate flag.
"There is no place for the Confederate flag in America. You can't change what it represents: slavery, raping and the evil of racism," Mr. Sharpton said.
Mr. Kucinich added that he was not staying in South Carolina last night out of respect for a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People boycott of the state over the flag, which flies at a Confederate memorial in front of the Statehouse in Columbia, after having been taken down from atop the state Capitol.
Mr. Kucinich and Mr. Sharpton, the most liberal of the remaining candidates, both said they support a government-run health-care system with no role for profits.
Wesley Clark of Arkansas said he does not support a start-from-scratch health care plan, as backed by many of the other candidates.
"I would not start all over. We have to make this system work," Mr. Clark said.
Mr. Kerry looked to secure a foothold in the South with an endorsement from another high-ranking Democrat going into last night's debate.
Rep. James E. Clyburn, South Carolina Democrat, endorsed Mr. Kerry yesterday, saying that Mr. Kerry could end the "three straight years of job losses." Mr. Kerry touted his plan to eliminate tax provisions that allow businesses to move jobs overseas and instead reward those that employ Americans.
"John Kerry has a vision to get South Carolinians back to work," said Mr. Clyburn, the state's highest-ranking black elected official.
Mr. Clyburn initially backed Rep. Richard A. Gephardt, but the Missouri Democrat dropped out of the race after placing a disappointing fourth in the Iowa caucuses.
There has been chatter about a presidential ticket of Mr. Edwards and Mr. Kerry — although supporters of each man led with his preferred candidate at the head of the ticket.
"I'd like to see a Kerry-Edwards combo; I think it could be good," said Robert Martineau, 72, a supporter of Mr. Kerry.
The Greenville transplant from Vermont said he thought the only way to beat Mr. Bush in the South was to have Mr. Edwards win support below the Mason-Dixon Line.
Rep. Albert R. Wynn of Maryland, who endorsed Mr. Edwards, said he, too, thought it was an excellent idea.
"I have heard that all over the place, down here and in Washington, and I think we do need an Edwards-Kerry campaign to win the South. That is exactly what we need to win," Mr. Wynn said.
Polls show that Mr. Clark, Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards are the leading candidates in South Carolina in the week before Tuesday's primary. In two polls this week, Mr. Edwards gained ground while the other candidates lost support among likely voters.
•Charles Hurt contributed to this report from Washington.

[OXENinFLA]

Well, they did stand shoulder to shoulder with The Great Satan in the run-up to the Iraq war.

And don't forget the stellar performance of Spain's UN Ambassador during Feb.(02).

[RightWhale]

this kind of coordinated civilian carnage would be a new tactic for them.

I feel that the Basque separatists would not do this kind of work since it would defeat their purpose immediately. It would be a stupid move and they are not stupid.

[Iberian]

This attack is not ETA, different style. ETA has denied it and usually they come forward and admit it.

[JennysCool]

The Muslims never got over being kicked out by the Reconquesta in the 15th century.

Sheesh, these guys sure know how to hold a grudge!

[Selene]

Basques are thought to be the remnants of Atlantis. They escaped a natural disaster in the area of Cuba and settled on the Spanish coast.

So I have read.

[nickcarraway]

Maybe Al Qaeda is too decimated and another, similar group is responsible.

[lizma]

The Basques are Catholics.

[highlander_UW]

Fox is now teasing that there is a claim of responsiblity. They're at commercial now.