From a comment on the
Spanish Lesson post over at
Whiskey Bar:
...This bombing does not have the ETA modus operandi. They normally plant bombs, warn the authorities, wait for them to clear the station, and then set the explosives off. They also target mostly military, government, and civil authorities and not the average citizen...
Posted by: CreationLTD at March 11, 2004 01:28 PM
That is what I saw in at least one report as well, plus the fact the ETA did not claim responsibility for the attacks - and the most recent significant event tied to this group was when they killed 21 in a Barcelona supermarket bombing but that was 17 years ago, and they said afterwards that it was a mistake according to the WAPO report.
So how come the PP - currently in full election-mode, remember - were so quick to confidently point the finger at the ETA? This attack (with it's well-planned coordination) is more reminiscent of the Turkey attacks and others presumed to be al Qaeda-related. And Spain is a member of Bush's "Coalition of the Willing", so there is al Qaeda's motive right there.
Occam's Razor brings us to al Qaeda at least as easily as to the ETA, so why was the incumbent PP so hasty in making the call?
Time will tell.
My condolences to the victims of Madrid.
Spanish Bombs, yo te quiero infinito
Yo te quiero, oh mi corazon
--Joe Strummer