|
|
|
15
Mar 2004
Ramifications of the Madrid Attack and Weekend
Elections in Spain;
PM-Elect to Pull All Spanish Troops From Iraq
MADRID, SPAIN: Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero,
whose Socialist party won Spain's general elections over the weekend, said
Monday that he will recall Spain's 1,300 peacekeeping troops in Iraq by June
30. Once he puts together his governing coalition, is installed as prime
minister and consults with political parties, "the Spanish troops which are
in Iraq will be returning home," he told a Spanish radio station. In a
related announcement, Zapatero also said on Monday that he would attempt to
form a "purely Socialist government in Spain," not a coalition with other
parties.
ERRI senior counter-terrorism analyst, Clark Staten, last
night said that he fears that the election of a new Socialist government in
Spain may have given both Al-Qaeda and ETA a major psychological victory in
the war on terror. "I don't believe that the electorate in Spain yet
understands the implications of what happened yesterday," Staten said.
"Essentially, they told the terrorists that coercion, terrorism, and
intimidation work," Staten added. "Sadly, our present assessment would
suggest that the electoral results in Spain will only encourage further
attempts to use violence to influence the political process in any number of
countries...these results may may turn out to be more important in the long
term than the bombings themselves," Staten concluded.
Europe Takes New Look at Vulnerability Following Spain
Terror Attack
By Nick Simeone, Washington
15 Mar 2004, 21:34 UTC (GMT)
(VOANEWS) -- Spain's incoming prime minister is promising to pull his
country's troops out of Iraq if coalition forces there are not put under
United Nations control by June 30. Last Thursday's terrorist bombings in
Madrid continue to cause political fallout both within Spain and beyond, as
much of Europe takes a new look at its vulnerability to a terrorist attack.
Many Spaniards believe last Thursday's terrorist attacks were the result of
Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's decision to take part in the U.S.-led
military coalition in Iraq.
And, as a consequence, the Aznar government has now become the first
administration that backed the Iraq war to be voted out of office. George
Parker, Brussels bureau chief for London's Financial Times newspaper, said
"there's no doubt at all that the election result was turned on the
terrorist attack which we now think to be the work of al-Qaida and that
clearly was directly related to the Spanish support for the Americans and
the war in Iraq.
With an overwhelming majority of Spaniards opposed to the war, incoming
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is vowing to pull all 1,300
Spanish troops out of Iraq, unless they are put under United Nations
control, saying the occupation has gone poorly.
Meanwhile, Spanish authorities have arrested five suspects in connection
with last Thursday's train bombings that left 200 people dead, and are
examining evidence suggesting Middle Eastern terrorists could be to blame.
Here in Washington, the Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson has
already drawn some conclusions. "We're satisfied that there is some al-Qaida
connection. The depth of that connection and the total responsibility is yet
to be determined," he said.
Across Europe, governments are taking the threat seriously, an indication
that they as well do not believe, as the Spanish initially did, that the
attack was entirely the work of Basque terrorists.
The European Union will discuss the continent's vulnerability to terrorism
during high-level talks Friday, while some experts, including British
security consultant Glenmore Trenear-Harvey are warning that other U.S.
allies could soon be targeted. "I would certainly expert before the end of
2004 a serious incident to take place on the UK mainland," he said.
The Bush administration says it does not consider the Spanish elections a
setback for the war on terrorism. However, the loss for Prime Minister
Aznar's party comes just as the White House planned to mark the first
anniversary of the Iraq invasion with a series of events designed to
showcase its successes.
13 Mar 2004 - 21:00CST
Videotape Says al-Qaida behind Madrid bombings; A real "Claim" or More
Misdirection?
MADRID, SPAIN: In a videotaped message, a man purporting to
represent al-Qaida claims the terrorist network was behind bombings that
killed 200 and wounded 1,500 in Madrid, the Spanish interior minister
said Saturday.
The tape-- along with the arrest of three Moroccan and two Indian
suspects-- provide the strongest indications yet of a possible Islamic
link to the attack on one of Washington's staunchest allies in Iraq. The
Spanish government, however, said it could not confirm the tape's
authenticity.
The announcement by Interior Minister Angel Acebes came just hours
before polls were to open Sunday in general elections weighed down by
debate over who actually carried out the attack.
Speaking at a hastily called post-midnight news conference at the
interior ministry, Acebes said authorities could not confirm the tape or the
claim was genuine. He said the videotape was discovered after an
Arabic-speaking man called a Madrid TV station and told them where it could
be found.
"We declare our responsibility for what happened in Madrid exactly 2 1/2
years after the attacks on New York and Washington," said the man, according
to a government translation of the tape, which was recorded in Arabic. "It
is a response to your collaboration with the criminals Bush and his allies."
Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has been a staunch supporter of the U.S.-led
war in Iraq.
A statement from the ministry said the speaker was identified as Abu Dujan
al Afghani. Acebes said he claimed to be the military spokesman of Al-Qaida
in Europe, but said he was not known to law enforcement authorities in
Spain, and that they were further checking the tape's authenticity.
Read the
whole story, from the Chicago Sun Times at:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-spain13.html
Terrorism Arrests Being Reported in Spain
MADRID, SPAIN:
According to European police sources, five people have been arrested in
Spain in connection to the Madrid train bombings. Few official details are
currently available, but the five are thought to be "foreign nationals." One
statement seems to indicate that three Moroccans and two Indian nationals
were among those arrested. EmergencyNet News will bring you additional
details as they become available...
08:00CST - 13 Mar 2004
REPLY#2: 08/11/98 -- ERRI Analysis on Bombings in Tanzania and Kenya
(As it may now relate to the Madrid Bombing)
"We would suspect that in the coming days that we may discover that the
bombers in Africa (or now you could say Spain) have come from
several countries and nationalities...that is in keeping with a
"compartmentalization" terrorism model that we at ERRI have been studying
and reporting on for some time. It has been used at least since the NYC
World Trade Center bombing. In this model, no terrorist group, in the
traditional sense, exists before the act, and none after it. The individual
terrorists are brought together by a coordinating and financing authority
who directs the act(s) that are carried out.
In the case of African bombings, there probably were one or more local
insurgents in each team and other operatives from Sudan, Egypt, Afghanistan,
and maybe other countries. After the act, the perpetrators are dispersed
(escape) back to friendly countries where they can hide in populations
sympathetic to their cause. This model makes infiltration of the groups,
detection during the operation, and investigation after the fact very
difficult. This compartmentalization also serves to confuse or mislead those
attempting to establish the true identity of those actually committing the
act. Finally, the "controlling authority" acts as a further "cut-out" for
any potential nation-state who might be involved in sponsoring, equipping,
or financing the act. Ultimately, this model can make justification for
legitimate retaliation by the victim country a long and arduous task."
--
Quote by C. L. Staten, ERRI Executive
Director, in an interview with a radio station. Source:
http://www.emergency.com/afrioped.htm
ERRI SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS Reminder:
In light of the fact that additional backpacks, designed to
delay-detonate and kill emergency responders, were reportedly found at the
scene of the Madrid bombings, it is highly recommended that all emergency
response personnel review their personal preparedness and SOPs (Standard
Operating Procedures) for response to "explosive situations." The following
areas/matters of concerns have been previously identified by ERRI analysts:
1. Unknown briefcases, packages, boxes, backpacks, etc., left unattended in areas of
large public gatherings or transportation systems. (i.e. Airports, Bus Stations, Train Stations, Court
Houses, Municipal/Federal buildings). Do not move and report them
immediately to EOD/Bomb Squad personnel.
2. Seemingly abandoned cars, parked in an areas that are densely inhabited,
or in close proximity to other "high-risk" targets. (i.e. Near any of the
above mentioned areas, shopping centers, government installations). Notify
local authorities.
3. Civic, Government, Religious, Ethnic, or other recognized leaders, who
may be the targets of assassination attempts. All Facilities containing these
people.
4. Electrical Power plants, Natural Gas facilities, Nuclear Plants, Chemical
factories, Telephone exchanges or Central offices, or any other public
infrastructure utility that could cause serious disruption of service or a danger to
the public.
5. Emergency Response facilities; Fire/Police/EMS stations, FBI/Secret
Service/ATF/DEA/CIA or other federal law enforcement offices or facilities
casn be targets...as we have seen in Iraq, repeatedly.
Source:
"EMERGENCY ACTION DRILL"
FOR MILITARY/EMERGENCY RESPONDERS" which can be found at:
http://www.emergency.com/actndril.htm
11 Mar 2004 - 21:00CST
Preliminary Analysis - Madrid Bombing
By C. L. Staten, Sr. Analyst
Below, please find the ERRI analysts' current working theories concerning
analysis of the Madrid bombings, based on the very limited information that
we have at this time:
1. It would be our hypothesis that there were members of ETA involved in the
bombing...namely acting as the local "scouts" surveillance providers,
drivers, etc., and they may have been involved in procuring the explosives
as well. This may account for previous concerns/reports by Spanish
intelligence/police about an ETA attack
2. We would suppose that there were "foreign jihadists" involved as the
engineer(s) [sappers/bomb builders] and in carrying out the actual
perpetration of the detonations. These may be the people referred to as
"Al-Qaeda" by the popular press. Their actual identity and country of origin
remains unknown at this time. We do believe that the jihadist motivation
involves Spain's participation in Iraq and support of the USA.
3. This morning's bombing used near-simultaneous detonation for a set of
high-explosive devices placed in high-density populated areas. This is a
tactic we've seen before, both in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and in
the tactics of Al Qaeda. Indeed, Al Qaeda doctrinal publications teach the
use of this tactic as a way to inflict maximum destruction and disruption.
The modus operendi (M.O.) is very Al-Qaeda-like and very unlike ETA
4. It would be our educated speculation that some of the perpetrators came
through/went back to France, where there is a large (radicalized -
Algerians?) Muslim population in several parts of the country (where they
could hide pre- and post-attack). We would suggestion investigation of this as an infiltration or exfiltration route...
5. The claim of responsibility is not a key determinate of actual
responsibility. It is common for Al-Qaeda not to do so and very common for
ETA to make a claim. It is also common for ETA to issue a warning before the
attack to minimize casualties...that was obviously not done in this case.
ETA has not targeted civilians like this in the past, because they are
"political" not apocalyptic...like Al-Qaeda (or like minded jihadists).
Please note that these surmises are very preliminary and that much more
investigation, and many more facts, are necessary to draw firm conclusions.
INSTANT 
14:15CST
'QAEDA CLAIMS BOMBINGS'
MADRID,
SPAIN/LONDON, ENGLAND: Al Qaeda is reported to be claiming
responsibility for the Madrid train bombings, which killed at least 192
people and wounded more than 1,000 others. A letter to the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper said the
group behind the September 11 attacks was responsible for the worst
terrorist attack on a European city since World War II.
The claim comes after investigators also found an Arabic language tape with
Koranic versus in a van carrying bomb detonators near Madrid.
The letter and the discovery of the van may throw into doubt the Spanish
government's claim that the Basque separatist group ETA - rather than al
Qaeda - was behind today's devastating bomb attacks, which also injured 1,200
people.
"Because of this, I have just given instructions to the security forces not
to rule out any line of investigation," Angel Acebes from teh Spanish
government said.
Get
more on this still developing story...click here for the latest from SkyNews
in London.
11 Mar 2004 08:00CST
Death Toll Continues To Rise in Spanish Terror Attack
MADRID, SPAIN: The latest
update coming from Spain indicates that at least 131 people were killed and
more than 400 were wounded in multiple blasts in/near train stations in
Madrid, Pedro Calvo, the Madrid regional government’s security affairs
director said.
Meanwhile, a leader of the ETA's banned political wing, Batasuna,
blamed "Arab resistance" of carrying out today's bombing in Madrid. Arnaldo
Otegi said he "refused to believe" that ETA was responsible. The ETA
statement was NOT immediately confirmed by Spanish officials.
Very preliminary photographic analysis of the blasts in Spain by ERRI
would seem to indicate that at least of the explosions originated from
inside the train cars. ERRI analysts respectfully suggested that somebody
should start looking for surveillance video of people getting on trains with
backpacks or suitcases and getting off at other stations without them. EmergencyNet News is monitoring events closely in Madrid, and
we will bring you additional updates as more facts become apparent...
Previous ERRI report:
Group Profile:
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
11 Mar 2004 - 04:00CST
*FLASH* Report
Multiple Blasts Decimate Madrid, Spain Commuter Train System
MADRID, SPAIN (EmergencyNet News): Morning rush hour has turned
into a virtual massacre at several train stations in the capital of Spain.
According to Spanish police and rescue services, at least 62 people have
been killed and more than 250 wounded. The exact casualty reports are still
fragmentary and largely unconfirmed at the time of this report. One
rescue agency told EmergencyNet News that the death toll was likely to rise
as rescue efforts continues. The incidents began to occur at about 07:30
a.m. local time
Explosions reportedly struck the central Madrid station of Atocha,
southern Madrid station of El Pozo, and at Santa Eugenia Station. The
Spanish Interior Ministry is saying that a fourth attack occurred at a
another station, that was not immediately identified. Witnesses described
large holes in the sides of train cars, with scores of dead and wounded
people at the scene of each of the blasts. At three incidents, it was not
immediately clear if the bombs went off on trains, platforms or both. But,
today's atrocities were clearly simultaneously synchronized and deadly
attacks.
Some Spanish authorities are blaming the blasts on armed Basque
separatists ETA, who are listed as a terrorist organization by the United
States and the European Union. But, no one has claimed responsibility for
the detonations and an investigation of the incidents is continuing at this
hour.
Based on the fact that the tactics used in today's attacks are very
dissimilar to previous ETA incidents, other lines of inquiry are said to
include a possibility that the explosions are somehow linked to Spain's
participation in and support for U.S. forces in Iraq.
Emergency Response & Research Institute
6348 N. Milwaukee Ave., #312
Chicago, IL. 60646
(773) 631-3774 - Voice
(773) 631-4703 - Fax
(773) 631-3467 - Modem/Emergency BBS On-Line
http://www.emergency.com - Main
Webpage
sysop@mail.emergency.com -
E-mail
Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI) - Emergency.com Sub-Menu
Home
Products
Services
About Us
News
Contact Us
|
|
