Spain "stunned" by new terror threats
Spain is reportedly in shock after the revelation that terrorists tried (and apparently were close to succeeding) blowing up a high speed train.
BBC's Katya Adler in Madrid
says Spaniards have reacted in stunned disbelief at the news of another attempted attack.
Well, sad to say, I am not surprised. In fact, I told them. It is stupid to believe that you really win peace by giving in to terrorism. What you tell the world, is that you give in to threats and extortion, so the terrorists will hit you again, and increase the ransom every time:
Several newspapers reported on Saturday that the Spanish embassy in Egypt had recently received a letter signed by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades threatening to attack Spanish embassies and Spanish interests in north Africa and the southern and eastern Mediterranean region.
The letter warned that the attacks would go ahead unless Spain withdrew its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan within four weeks, El Mundo reported.
The identity of that particular "brigade" is unknown, but there is no doubt where its sympathies are. Zapatero may argue as much as he likes that he has been consistently arguing for a withdrawal of Spanish troops in Iraq all the time. What has happened was that Spain as a nation did an about-face in the face of a murderous terrorist attack. The terrorists interpret the result as appeasement, and that is really all that counts. It worked the first time, so now let's up the ante and see what happens.
Now Spain may very well be paying the price for failing so miserably after March 11. It will take years of Spanish standfast resolute in the war on terror to rebuild the country's lost prestige. How many lifes it will cost is anybody's guess.
However, the big question is: Would the islamofascists keep trying to attack Spain if they hadn't won a concession the first time? Nobody can know the answer for sure, but the Spanish people should ask themselves this question, and think long and hard before answering.
