www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/03/11/spain.blasts/index.html
Yes No 45 VIEW RESULTS VOTE YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS ETA Acts of terror Madrid (Spain) Basque Activate or 46 Create your own 47 Manage alerts | 48 What is this? MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Spanish government officials have pinned the blame on the Basque separatist group ETA for Thursday's blasts in Madrid that killed at least 192 people, but investigators were also exploring a lead with Arabic and Islamic links. The brazen morning rush-hour terror strikes at city train stations also wounded at least 1,400. The initial belief among officials was that ETA, designated a terror group by the United States and the European Union, was responsible. But Spanish Interior Minister Angel Acebes said authorities were investigating a van found in the town of Alcala de Henares, outside Madrid, with at least seven detonators and an Arabic tape with Koranic teachings. The tape contained no threats and is a type available commercially. The new line of investigation, sparked by a citizen's tip, raised the possibility of a link to Islamic militants. He said the group has issued credible claims in the past and claimed responsibility for Monday's attacks in Istanbul on a Masonic lodge. But intelligence sources have consistently told CNN that Abu Hafs al-Masri does not speak for al Qaeda, and there is a question about whether it exists at all beyond one person with a computer and a fax machine. The attacks could have been "an operation by sectors of the Arab resistance," he said. Before the discovery of the van, Acebes said Otegi was simply trying to confuse the situation. ETA 'must be crushed' The scale of the attack was unlike anything ETA has ever carried out. The highest death toll in any ETA-linked attack was in 1987 -- when 21 were killed in a Barcelona supermarket blast. Attacks blamed on or claimed by ETA through the years have killed 800 people in Spain. The group has been fighting for an independent homeland in northern Spain. Authorities also said ETA usually posts warnings and claims responsibility for the actions. One Basque official called it the worst terror attack in Spanish history. The Spanish ambassador to the United States, Javier Ruperez, who said he believes ETA was responsible, said "in a way it is" Spain's September 11, referring to the 2001 terror attacks in New York and Washington. Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar addressed the nation and condemned the terrorists attack, saying ETA must be crushed, and opposed negotiations with them. Acebes said there were multiple explosions at the Santa Eugenia, El Pozo and Atocha stations, and three other bombs were found and detonated by police. The deadliest blast happened on a train entering Madrid's main Atocha station, according to Acebes. Acebes said suspicion focused on ETA because the modus operandi was similar in December and February incidents, and the type of explosives matched those typically used by ETA. Anti-terror officials said the dynamite was stolen in France three years ago. People in tears walked away from the city's main Atocha station in droves as rescue workers carried bodies away from the scene. After the blasts, all political parties announced they were suspending campaign rallies, but there has been no word that elections would be suspended. The government called for a three-day period of mourning, and impromptu anti-ETA demonstrations broke out in Madrid and other cities. Spanish police -- who have foiled several recent bombing attempts by ETA -- were on high alert for terror attacks ahead of Sunday's vote. Basque member of parliament Gustavo Aristegui -- who was in Madrid at the time of the attack -- also blamed ETA. On February 29, Spanish police seized more than 1,000 pounds of explosives and arrested two suspected ETA members who were planning to carry out an attack in Madrid, an official said. Story Tools 54 Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time!
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