13. mars 2004

Five arrested in Spain over Madrid bombing Researching leads from the mobile found in the bomb bag that failed to explode, Spanish police have arrested five men. Interior Minister Angel Acebes said: "Early this afternoon, members of the National Police corps made five arrests, three of citizens of Moroccan nationality, two citizens of Indian nationality, and there are two other Spaniards of Indian origin from whom statements are being taken now," he said. "All of them [have been arrested] for suspected involvement in the sale and falsification of the mobile [phone] and [pay] card which were found in the bag [containing a bomb] which failed to explode." This certainly point towards Islamic extremists and away from ETA. Assuming, of course, these people were really involved in the bombing. Expats from faraway countries are often involved in phone card and mobile scams of various sorts, selling to their fellow expats who want to call home at a cheaper rate. That doesn't mean they blow up trains. We'll see if these men are responsible for something far more sinister than phone card scams. 9:04:48 PM    comment []  trackback []

"Scientists take cheap shots at Bush" Spinsanity is not impressed with a lot of the criticism of the Bush administration from "concerned scientists." A Feb. 18 statement supporting the report was signed by 60 top scientists, including a number of Nobel laureates, but not all the data in the report stand up to scientific scrutiny. I thought the criticism were extremely high on rhetoric, and very low on actual arguments myself. The Bush administration certainly deserves some flak coming their way, but when the criticism comes across as deeply partisan, people will tend to ignore even the fair arguments. 5:17:13 PM    comment []  trackback []

French bashing is fun Charles Krauthammer sure thinks so, anyway. Look. I know it is shooting French in a barrel. But when yet another insufferable penseur -- first Chirac, then de Villepin, now the editor of Le Monde -- starts lecturing Americans on how they ought to conduct themselves in the world, the rules of decorum are suspended. Great weekend entertainment! Read it all. 4:34:33 PM    comment []  trackback []

ETA remains prime suspect Contrary to earlier reports, the explosives used in the Madrid attacks were Spanish and the same used by ETA earlier. Authorities said they found and safely detonated three more bombs, apparently set on timers to explode later, when rescuers and security forces were on the scene. The explosive used came from inside Spain and is similar to explosives used in previous attacks by ETA, according to Glenn Schoen, a security analyst who has seen the latest police analysis. On the other hand, the copper detonators used in the backpack bombs were more sophisticated than the aluminum detonators previously used in bombs linked to ETA, said Schoen, who has worked with Spanish police on train security. The preliminary analysis determined the explosive is a type of dynamite called ECO, manufactured in Spain and normally used in construction and mining, Schoen said. Schoen -- director of analytical services at TranSecur in Washington -- was in Madrid last week inspecting railroad facilities as part of his work with Spanish police. It is interesting to note that most in Spain, and in the US, are more likely to blame the ETA, while in the rest of Europe the press clearly emphasises the Al-Qaeda links. This is understandable in one way: if it is ETA this terrorist attack, horrible as it is, will be primarily a Spanish problem. If it is al-Qaeda, it shows that Europe is not as well protected against Islamic terrorism as we had hoped. There is a more cynical explanation, too. Remember Spain is voting tomorrow, and the terrorist attack was timed to interfere with it. If ETA is blamed, it will probably strengthen the center-right Popular Party currently in power, lead by outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and his handpicked successor Mariano Rajoy. If it is al-Qaeda, on the other hand, it is believed that many will blame the government for having brought this on Spain by supporting the US-lead coalition that removed Saddam Hussein from power. The belief that doing what the terrorists want will appease them to leave you alone, while demonstrably wrong, is still strong in Europe. Few things will please the leftist press more than seing Aznar's Popular Party punished for the Iraq war in tomorrow's Spanish election. Update: The Spanish may be united against the terrorists, but the struggle to score political points from the blasts started before the smoke fromt he explosions had dissolved. Again, read Iberian Notes to keep up with the local debate if you, like me, don't read Spanish. Here, quoting and translating commentator Jordi Barbeta: The Government insisted all day that the suspicion that ETA is behind the attentat is still the most viable, while several opposition parties and also the Basque regional government insinuated that the government was hiding information that would support the hypothesis of an Al Qaeda attack as a reprisal for Spain's support for the war in Iraq. Also, here, pointing out that the socialist opposition desperately wants this to be an al-Qaeda operation to be able to score some political points. The communists, true to their ideals or lack thereof, worked hard to make the anti-terrorism march divisive by bringing paraphernalia from their anti-war marches. 'Indeed, if Spain had only appeased the terrorists, none of this would have happened.' I hope and believe Spain's voters see through such despiceful tactics and cowardice. Update 2: Now, doesn't this mean the ETA would benefit from the blasts politically only if they were able to blame al-Qaeda for the carnage? And ETA has, somewhat uncharacteristically, denied all involvment. Also, al-Qaeda would actually benefit, bringing down a pro-American government, by taking responsibility for the terror even if they had nothing to do with it. All ETA had to do was to leave a Koran tape in the vehicle used to trigger the blasts... Now wait a minute! 1:54:57 PM    comment []  trackback []

— ETA bought Stinger missiles from Bin Laden A more than two year old article in The Guardian may provide some insight into who is behind the horrible Madrid bombings. Three Eta members travelled to al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan last year to buy ground-to-air missiles and train in their use, according to a report from an unnamed Arab intelligence service obtained by Tiempo magazine in Spain. The magazine said the Basque separatists had bought three Stinger missiles, which Spanish intelligence services feared they would try to use to bring down official aircraft carrying government ministers or King Juan Carlos. Official Spanish documents seen by the Guardian confirm that officials believe Eta has obtained anti-aircraft missiles. The evidence from the recent bombing is confusingly ambiguous, with leads pointing towards both the ETA and al-Qaeda, as well as factors counting against both of them. The third, truly chilling possibility, is that this was a cooperation between the two. So far, the effectiveness of al-Qaeda has been more limited in the west because loyal adherents, and potential terrorists, have been fanatical Muslims from a limited number of countries which are likely to leave traces of their activities western intelligence can pick up. At the same time, ETA has been somwahat limited by its scruples and lack of resources. If the two cooperate, they may be able to solve both problems, with disastrous results for the rest of us. Link via Roger Simon. 1:02:37 AM    comment []  trackback []

South Korea Well, I thought the impeachment of South Koreas president Roh was bizarre, and it is. 12:12:54 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2004 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.04.2004; 02:26:39.