NationMaster - Encyclopedia: 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings

The 2004 Madrid train bombings (also known as 11-M, 3/11, 11/3 and M-11) were a series of coordinated bombings against the commuter train system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of 11 March 2004, which killed 191 people and wounded over 1700. A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ... Location Coordinates : 40Â° 23â€™N , 3Â°43â€²0â€³W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de Madrid) Website http://www. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Description of the Bombings

On the morning of Thursday 11th March 2004, ten explosions ^[1] occurred at the height of the Madrid rush hour aboard four commuter trains (known as Cercanías in Spain). All the affected trains were travelling on the same line and in the same direction between Alcalá de Henares and Atocha station in Madrid. A total of thirteen improvised explosive devices were reported to have been placed on the trains, two of the three devices which did not explode were subsequently destroyed in controlled explosions by the bomb disposal teams. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2274x1608, 695 KB) Plaque set up by the Madrid townhall in memory of the casualties in the 11-M terror attack in Madrid (Spain) Author: Miguel A. Monjas Date: 6/10, 2005 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2274x1608, 695 KB) Plaque set up by the Madrid townhall in memory of the casualties in the 11-M terror attack in Madrid (Spain) Author: Miguel A. Monjas Date: 6/10, 2005 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia... (Redirected from 11th March) March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rush hour at Tokyo Station, Yamanote Line A rush hour is a part of the day with busy traffic and hence traffic congestion on the roads and crowded public transport; normally the two periods in a day when people are travelling to or from work or school. ... A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ... Interior plaza in old Atocha station Exterior of old Atocha station For other uses, see Atocha (disambiguation). ...

According to the summary of the judicial investigation.^[2] the explosions took place between 07:37 and 07:40 in the morning as described below (all timings given are in local time UTC/GMT+1):

Atocha Station (train number 21431) - Three bombs exploded. Based on the video recording from the station security system, the first bomb exploded at 7:37, and two others exploded within 4 seconds of each other at 7:38.

Outside Atocha Station, approximately 800 metres from the station at a location generally referred to as Calle Tellez after the street running adjacent to the tracks (train number 17305) - Four bombs exploded in different carriages of the train at approximately 7:39.

El Pozo del Tío Raimundo Station (train number 21435) - At approximately 07:38, just as the train was starting to leave the station, two bombs exploded in different carriages.

Santa Eugenia Station (train number 21713) - One bomb exploded at approximately 07:38.

All four trains containing explosive devices had departed the station at Alcalá de Henares between 07:01 and 07:14. At 08:00 emergency relief workers began arriving at the scenes of the bombings. The police reported "numerous victims" and spoke of 50 wounded and several dead. By 08:30 SAMUR, the emergency ambulance service, had set up a "field hospital" at a sports facility at Daoiz y Velarde. Hospitals were told to expect the arrival of many casualties. Bystanders and local residents helped relief workers. At 08:43 fire fighters reported 15 dead at El Pozo. By 09:00 the police had confirmed the death of at least 30 people; 20 at El Pozo and about 10 in Santa Eugenia and Atocha.

Also at 08:00, a "Cage Operation" (Operación Jaula in Spanish), designed to prevent terrorists from fleeing the city went into effect and started affecting transportation in, out and around the city.^[3] At 08:45 RENFE, the national railway operator, shut down all rail traffic in to and out of Madrid, and Line 1 of the Madrid metro was closed for security reasons. At 08:56 the police sealed off all streets adjacent to Atocha and evacuated the station. At the same time, RENFE closed the stations at Chamartín and Príncipe Pío, the other train stations in Madrid. ChamartÃn is the name of a railway station in Madrid, Spain. ... PrÃncipe PÃo is the name of a hill in the western part of Madrid, Spain. ...

Consequently, all railway traffic to and from Madrid was shut down, including commuter, regional, and intercity trains as well as the high-speed AVE service to Seville. International rail traffic to and from Madrid was also interrupted due to security concerns, although trains to and from France departed from Chamartín, Madrid's second largest train station. According to the French SNCF, this was done at the request of the Spanish authorities. ^{[citation needed]} AVE Alstom trainsets at Seville. ... NO8DO (It has not abandoned me) Location Coordinates : ( ) Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Sevilla (Spanish) Spanish name Sevilla Founded 8th-9th century BC Postal code 41001-41080 Website http://www. ... ChamartÃn is an administrative district of Madrid, Spain and consists of the following neighborhoods: El Viso, Prosperidad, Ciudad JardÃn, HispanoamÃ©rica, Nueva EspaÃ±a, and Pza. ... An SNCF multiple unit. ...

RENFE organized alternative transportation, and moved 3,000 passengers by road. Around 18:30, traffic to and from Chamartín and Príncipe Pío was restored, including some commuter rail lines and northbound national and international traffic out of Chamartín. In France, the Vigipirate plan was upped to the orange level.^[4] In Italy, the Government declared a state of high alert.^[5] A policeman from the border police and two soldiers from the Air Force, carrying FAMAS rifles, inspect Lyon Saint-ExupÃ©ry airport. ...

A blood donation bus, which had already been parked in the Puerta del Sol for a number of days ^{[citation needed]}, became inundated with donors, with several hundred queuing to offer their assistance. Puerta del Sol, from left to right, the House of the Post Office, Calle Mayor and the statue of Charles III The Puerta del Sol (Spanish for Sun Gate) is one of the most well known and busiest places in Madrid. ...

The towns served by the commuter rail line on which the bombings occurred are home to large Latin American and Eastern European immigrant communities. Many of the 250,000 people using the line each day are students, blue-collar workers, and middle-class people who cannot afford to live in the city of Madrid and so commute from neighbouring communities. Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Eastern Europe is the eastern region of Europe variably defined. ... Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ...

The number of victims was higher than in any similar action in Spain, far surpassing the previous worst bombing incident at a Hipercor chain supermarket in Barcelona in 1987, which killed 21 and wounded 40; on that occasion, responsibility was claimed by the Basque armed militant group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna ("Basque Fatherland and Liberty") or ETA. It was also the worst incident of this kind in Europe since the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. Hipercor is a chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets in Spain, belonging to the same group as El Corte Inglés Categories: Stub ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Postal code 08001-08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Basque may refer to: Look up Basque in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other meanings of ETA, see Eta. ... The cockpit landed in a farmers field near a tiny church in Tundergarth, Scotland Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan Ams daily Frankfurt-London-New York-Detroit evening flight. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Aftermath

An attempted bombing of the track of the high-speed AVE train took place on 2 April but was unsuccessful.^[7] Shortly afterwards, police identified an apartment in Leganés, south of Madrid, as being the base of operations for the individuals suspected of being the material authors of the Madrid and AVE attacks. The suspected militants, headed by Jamal Zougam, Serhane Abdelmaji "the Tunisian" and Jamal Ahmidan "the Chinese", were trapped inside the apartment by a police raid on the evening of Saturday 3 April. At 9:03 pm, when the police started to assault the premises, the militants committed suicide by setting off explosives, killing themselves and one of the police officers.^[8] 12 March: An estimated 1. ... AVE Alstom trainsets at Seville. ... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... LeganÃ©s streets LeganÃ©s is a town in central Spain. ... Location Coordinates : 40Â° 23â€™N , 3Â°43â€²0â€³W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de Madrid) Website http://www. ... April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ...

Investigators subsequently found that the explosives used in the Leganés explosion were of the same type as those used in the 11 March attacks and the thwarted bombing of the AVE line. ^[7]. It is generally presumed that the militants killed at Leganés were, indeed, the individuals responsible for both attacks. An investigation on how they obtained their explosives (a total of around 200 kg) revealed that they had been bought from a retired miner who could still gain access to a blasting equipment store many months after he had left the mine for health reasons.^[9] March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ...

^[10] Five to eight suspects believed to be involved in the 11 March attacks managed to escape. ^[11] March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ...

Initially it was feared that families of illegal immigrants would be afraid to contact the authorities for fear of being deported for immigration violations, but Spanish Prime Minister José Aznar announced an immigration amnesty for victims of the attack. ^{[citation needed]} JosÃ© MarÃa Aznar LÃ³pez (born February 25, 1953, in Madrid, Spain) was President of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ...

Makeshift shrine for the victims of the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks inside Atocha station in Madrid. ... Makeshift shrine for the victims of the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks inside Atocha station in Madrid. ...

Responsibility

Official statements issued shortly after the Madrid attacks identified ETA as the prime suspect, but the group, which usually claims responsibility for its actions, denied any wrongdoing.^[12] Later evidence strongly pointed to the involvement of extremist Islamist groups, with the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group named as a focus of investigations. Currently a loose group of muslims inspired by al-Qaeda is suspected of having carried out the attacks. As of 11 April 2006, Judge Del Olmo charged 29 suspects for their involvement in the train bombings.^[13] Immediate reactions to the attacks in Spanish media assumed ETA involvement. Because the bombs were 3 days before the general elections in Spain, the situation had many political interpretations. This event took place exactly two and a half years (912 days) after the September 11 terrorist attack on America in 2001. (9/11 in US date format) Although ETA has a history of mounting bomb attacks in Madrid, planting delayed-action bombs to kill rescue workers and using booby traps (such as explosives in wallets), as well as also having attempted to attack trains,^[14] the 11 March attacks were on a scale far exceeding anything previously attempted by a European militant organisation. This led some to point out that the tactics used were more typical of Islamic militant extremist groups, perhaps with a certain link to Al-Qaeda. Observers also noted that ETA customarily issues warnings before its mass bombings and that there was no warning for this attack. Europol director Jürgen Storbeck commented that the bombings "don't correspond to the modus operandi which ETA has adopted up to now".^[15] ETA symbol or ETA (Basque for Basque Homeland and Freedom; IPA pronunciation: [) is a paramilitary Basque nationalist organization listed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, European Union and the United States in their watchlists on the matter. ... Islamism is a political ideology derived from the conservative religious views of Muslim fundamentalism. ... The Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain, or GICM) is an extremist Islamic fundamentalist group operating in North Africa and suspected of having links with al-Qaida. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... Map of Spains electoral circumscriptions, and the parties leading in each circumscription in the election for the Congress of Deputies Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Europol (the name is a contraction of European Police Office) is the European Unions criminal intelligence agency. ... Modus operandi (often used in the abbreviated form MO) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as mode of operation. ...

All of the devices are thought to have been hidden inside backpacks. Despite Spanish Government's claims that the explosive used was titadine, a type of compressed dynamite used by ETA in recent years, forensic analysis of one of the remaining unexploded devices found at El Pozo revealed the explosive used there to be Goma-2, manufactured in Spain and not used by ETA since the 1980s. The police investigated reports of three people in ski masks getting on and off the trains several times at Alcalá de Henares between 7:00 and 7:10. A van was found parked outside the station at Alcalá de Henares containing detonators, audio tapes with Qur'anic verses, and cell phones. ^[16] A backpack A backpack is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on ones back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders and below the armpits. ... Titadyn 30 AG (often referred to as Titadine) is a type of compressed dynamite used in mining and manufactured in southern France by Titanite S.A. The explosive comes in the form of salmon-coloured tubes of a range of diameters, from 50 to 120mm. ... Dynamite is an explosive based on the explosive potential of nitroglycerin using diatomaceous earth (Kieselguhr) as an adsorbent. ... Goma-2 Eco is a type of high explosive manufactured for industrial use (chiefly mining) by UniÃ³n EspaÃ±ola de Explosivos S.A. It is a gelatinous, nitroglycerin-based explosive widely used within Spain and exported abroad. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... This article is about the headgear known as a balaclava, for information about the town in the Crimea see: Balaklava. ... AlcalÃ¡ de Henares is a Spanish city. ... A detonator is a device used to trigger bombs, shaped charges and other forms of explosive material and explosive devices. ... The QurÄn [1] (Arabic: â€Ž , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ... Mobile phones from various years Several mobile phones A mobile or cellular telephone is a long-range, portable electronic device for personal telecommunications over long distances. ...

The provincial chief of the TEDAX, bomb experts of the Spanish police, declared on 12 July 2004, that damage in the trains could not be caused by dynamite, but by some type of military explosive, like C3 or C4.^[17] Two bombs - one in Atocha and another one in El Pozo stations, numbers 11 and 12 - were detonated accidentally by the TEDAX. According the provincial chief of the TEDAX, deactivated rucksacks contained some other type of explosive. The 13th bomb which was transferred to a police station, contained dynamite, but did not explode, because there were not two wires connecting the explosives to the detonator. That bomb used a mobile phone Mitsubishi Trium as a timer, requiring a SIM card to activate the alarm, and thereby detonate.^[18] The analysis of the SIM card allowed the police to arrest the first perpetrators. On Saturday, 13 March, when a number of Moroccans and were arrested for the attacks, it was confirmed that the attacks came from an Islamic group.^[19] July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Interior plaza in old Atocha station Exterior of old Atocha station For other uses, see Atocha (disambiguation). ... El Pozo is a small town located about 20 minutes northeast of CuliacÃ n, Sinaloa, Mexico. ... Look up SIM, Sim, sim in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ...

On 3 April 2004, in Leganes, south Madrid, four Arab terrorists blew themselves up, killing one special assault police and wounding eleven policemen. According to witnesses and media between five and eight suspects escaped on that day. ^[11] See also: April 2, 2004 - April 2004 - April 4, 2004 NASA announces that the Gravity Probe B is ready for launch on April 17. ... Leganés is a town in central Spain. ...

Security forces carried out a controlled explosion of a suspicious package found near the Atocha station and subsequently deactivated the two undetonated devices on the Téllez train. A third unexploded device was later brought from the station at El Pozo to a police station in Vallecas, and became a central piece of evidence for the investigation. It appears that at least the El Pozo bomb failed to detonate because a cell-phone alarm used to trigger the bomb was set 12 hours late.^[20]

The Partido Popular, now in opposition, as well as certain media outlets such as El Mundo newspaper, ^[21] continue to support alternative theories relating the attack to a vast conspiracy to remove them from power. These theories consider that the Socialist Party (PSOE), ETA as well as members of the security forces and national and foreign (Morocco) secret services were implicated in the bombings. ^[22] The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is the largest liberal conservative political party in Spain. ... El Mundo is the second largest newspaper in Spain, with a circulation of 350,297 copies (2003). ... JosÃ© Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero at a meeting in San SebastiÃ¡n The Spanish Socialist Workers Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials, PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero EspaÃ±ol), is a major party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833. ...

Nowadays, Judge Del Olmo assigns the responsibility to "local cells of Islamic extremists inspired through the Internet",^[23] not Al-Qaeda, GIA or Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group. These local cells would be consist of hash traffickers of Moroccan origin, remotely linked to an Al Qaeda cell already captured. These group would have bought the explosives (dynamite Goma-2 ECO) from low-level thiefs in Asturias (North of Spain) using money from the small scale drug trafficking.^[24] Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... The Armed Islamic Group (GIA, from French Groupe Islamique ArmÃ©; Arabic al-Jamaah al-Islamiyah al-Musallah) is a militant Islamist group with the declared aim of overthrowing the Algerian government and replacing it with an Islamic state. ... The Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain, or GICM) is an extremist Islamic fundamentalist group operating in North Africa and suspected of having links with al-Qaida. ... The word hash can refer to: The number sign (#), called a pound sign in North America. ... Goma-2 Eco is a type of high explosive manufactured for industrial use (chiefly mining) by UniÃ³n EspaÃ±ola de Explosivos S.A. It is a gelatinous, nitroglycerin-based explosive widely used within Spain and exported abroad. ... Anthem: Asturias, patria querida Capital Oviedo Official language(s) Spanish; Asturian have special status Area â€“ Total â€“ % of Spain Ranked 10th 10,604 kmÂ² 2. ...

According to El Mundo, "the notes on the Moroccan confident 'Cartagena' prove that the Police had the 3/11 leadership under surveillance." ^[25] 34 of these 40 imputed were informers and / or controlled by the Police, Civil Guard and National Center of Intelligence before the attacks and contains weird coincidences like the Moroccan El Chino who distributed hash in the Basque country. A notebook of Carmen Toro, member of Asturian group, contained the cellphone number of the chief of TEDAX. The cellphones used in the bombing were purchased from a shop of Mausilli Kalaji, a Spanish police officer and former member of Al Fatah.^[26] Basque may refer to: Look up Basque in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Fatah (Arabic: الفتح) al_fatah—an reverse acronym from arabic words Harakat alTahrir alwatani alFilastini (literally: the movement for liberation of the Palestinian homeland)—is a Palestinian faction founded in 1959 by Yasser Arafat who, until his death, was head of the Palestinian Authority. ...

Controversies

Whether the conservative government lied

The government of the conservative PP was accused of falsely blaming ETA for the attacks. The very day of the attacks Police officials wrongly informed the Government that the explosives usually used by ETA were found at the blast sites which along with other suspicious circumstances led the PP to blindly believe in ETA's authorship. There was not any direct or indirect evidence from the investigation of the bombing pointing to ETA involvement ^[16], however the group had been caught with a large amount of explosives some months ago, which looked like preparations for a big strike.^[27] The government sent messages to all the Spanish embassies abroad ordering that they upheld the ETA version. President José María Aznar even called a number of newspaper directors to ask for their support of this version.^[28] JosÃ© MarÃa Aznar LÃ³pez (born February 25, 1953, in Madrid, Spain) was President of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ...

Broadly speaking, the extremely tense political atmosphere in Spain over the previous term of office served as a breeding ground for a situation that the attacks turned into a chasm, bringing the conservative government to the very edge of it just three days before the elections. On one hand, José María Aznar was aggressively opposed to any dialogue with ETA and based most of his campaign on the threat of terrorism (the 9/11 attacks in New York reinforced his view of the war against the terrorists). On the other hand, Aznar's friendship with U.S. president George W. Bush led him to support the 2003 invasion of Iraq against the view of the overwhelming majority of the population (causing the biggest demonstrations ever seen in Spain since restoration in the late 1970's) ^[29].^[30] This left Aznar on a tricky situation: if Basque terrorists were proved to be responsible of the attack, it would favor is campaign; if an Islamic group appeared to cause the blast, people might blame him for earning himself enemies. This article regards the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Islam (Arabic: ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…), believe God (Arabic: Ø§Ù„Ù„Ù‡ ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ...

The Summary of the Judicial Enquiry concluded that the decision to attack Madrid was taken after and as a result of the invasion of Iraq. Nevertheless, The New Yorker claimed that the decision was taken before 9-11 ^[7] according to an Italian police report.^[31] The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry, and fiction. ...

Controversy regarding responsibility

Thirteen improvised explosive devices were reported to have been used by the Islamic militant group that was responsible for the bombing, all but three of which detonated. This group seems to have worked with a very tenuous connection with Al-Qaeda but with the aim of acting on its behalf. Shortly after the bombings, the group was completely dismantled by the Spanish police and the core members committed suicide when they were surrounded in the nearby city of Leganés. ^[11] IED is also an abbreviation for Intelligent Electronic Device IED is also an abbreviation for Intermittent explosive disorder A large cache of munitions found in Afghanistan in 2004. ... LeganÃ©s streets LeganÃ©s is a town in central Spain. ...

The bombings in Madrid have led to a sharp political and social fracture in Spain. This result stands in sharp contrast to other large scale terrorist attacks such as those of New York and London, which galvanized society and political forces.

Spain's political division is exemplified by the accusation by members of the Partido Popular and several conservative media outlets regarding the responsibility for the bombings and whether the attacks were for political gain. ^[32] Some of these source initially supported the hypothesis that ETA was behind the attacks. These groups have focused their investigation on unexplained details and inconsistencies in the Summary report and expressed scepticism about the truthfulness and bias of the evidence presented thus far.

Over the last three years, conservative forces in Spain have overtly argued the possibility that the Socialist party, the police, the Spanish, French, and Moroccan secret services, and, of course, ETA, may have had a role in organizing the bombings.^[33]

Not all conservative media outlets are involved in this campaign. There is a distinct difference between those who believe that the PSOE use it for political gain as it had access to information (either through France or through links to the Police) which it used to ridicule the government in the aftermath of the bombing, and those who consider the possibility that the ETA, some groups in the State Security Forces (possibly related to the GAL), in the Moroccan secret services and in the Socialist Party (PSOE) may have had a role in organizing the bombings or in blocking official investigation or confusing it with misleading evidences. ^[22] Los agujeros negros del 11-M (El Mundo)]</ref> The first group includes the Newspaper ABC, while the second group includes the Radio Station COPE and the newspapers La Razón and El Mundo.^[21] Spain’s 11-M and the right’s revenge (Open Democracy)]</ref> This group claims that the official version is more than questionable and that the truth is still unknown. They have coupled this claims with doubts about the legitimacy of the current government, which they ideollogically oppose. GAL may refer to: Global Address List Edward G. Pitka Sr. ... Diario ABC S.L is a Spanish newspaper that was founded in Madrid on January 1, 1903. ... a priest wearing a cope The cope is a liturgical vestment, which may be of any liturgical colour, and is like a very long mantle or cloak, fastened at the breast by a clasp. ...

An attempt to link ETA to the bombings occurred in May 2006 when the newspaper El Mundo published on its front page that a business card of the Basque firm Mondragón Cooperative Corporation (MCC) had been found in the van which was used by the terrorists. This piece of evidence, discovered by the policemen which found the van, wasn't present on the numerous Police reports, while new pieces of information appeared. ^[34] The rationale of "El Mundo" was that Mondragón has no relationship with ETA but it could point to ETA as well as the Coranic cassette pointed to Al Qaeda conception. MondragÃ³n Cooperative Corporation (MCC) is a group of manufacturing and retail companies based in the Basque Country and extended over the rest of Spain and abroad. ...

It was later asserted by the Spanish police that, it was not a business card but the cover of a music CD of the popular Spanish 80s rock group "Orquesta Mondragón".^[35] The CD itself with its box was found in a pile of various other music CDs. The rear of the cover have been apparently used by the legitimate propietory to warn people when he parked in the middle of the street since it has handwritten a message that said "I am coming back inmediately".^[36] On the other hand, "El Mundo" insisted in the existence of a MCC card in the van.^[37]

The Spanish police also asserted that a card from "Gráficas Bilbaínas" (i.e., "Bilbao printing", a printing shop located in Madrid) found in the van was the source of the allegued confusion.^[38] La Muy Noble y Muy Leal e Invicta (The most noble and most loyal and undefeated) Location Location of Bilbao in Spain and Biscay Coordinates : 43,15Â° n. ...

Questions over the type of explosive used in the bombs

On July 11th 2006 the Spanish newspaper El Mundo published this headline: El Mundo is the second largest newspaper in Spain, with a circulation of 350,297 copies (2003). ...

El Mundo argues that: Goma-2 Eco is a type of high explosive manufactured for industrial use (chiefly mining) by UniÃ³n EspaÃ±ola de Explosivos S.A. It is a gelatinous, nitroglycerin-based explosive widely used within Spain and exported abroad. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ...

El Mundo founder and manager, Pedro J. Ramírez, has said about this issue: July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... Nitroglycerin (also nitroglycerine, trinitroglycerin, or glyceryl trinitrate) is a chemical compound, a heavy, colorless, poisonous, oily, explosive liquid obtained by nitrating glycerol. ... Dynamite is an explosive based on the explosive potential of nitroglycerin using diatomaceous earth (Kieselguhr) as an adsorbent. ... Goma-2 Eco is a type of high explosive manufactured for industrial use (chiefly mining) by UniÃ³n EspaÃ±ola de Explosivos S.A. It is a gelatinous, nitroglycerin-based explosive widely used within Spain and exported abroad. ... Pedro JosÃ© RamÃrez Codina (LogroÃ±o, 1952), Spanish journalist, known as Pedro J. RamÃrez. ...

Nevertheless, on July 17th 2006, Mr. Sánchez Manzano stated before the investigating judge that he had mistakenly used the word "nitroglycerine" because of its historical connection with dynamite ^[47].

The 19 July 2006 digital edition of El Mundo contains a report on the appearance before the investigating judge, Juan del Olmo, of the inspector belonging to the bomb disposal squad (TEDAX) who was responsible for the preliminary reports on the explosives used in the bombings.^[48] This officer, head of the TEDAX investigation group and a graduate in Chemistry, stated before the judge that she was unable to determine the type of dynamite used in the bombs because it was not possible to obtain a test sample of sufficient size to study the composition of the explosive. She also declared that at no time did she ever mention the presence of nitroglycerine to any of her commanding officers - who include Mr. Sánchez Manzano. ^{[citation needed]} July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ...

Reactions

Crowds in Madrids Puerta del Sol protest against the March 11 bombings. ... Crowds in Madrids Puerta del Sol protest against the March 11 bombings. ...

Social

On 12 March the Spanish went out to the street to protest against the bombings, in a government-organised demonstration to condemn ETA, who at the time were being blamed for the attacks. The rest of Spain and many cities from all over the world also protested. Vigo, which has a population of only 300,000 inhabitants, saw 400,000 demonstrators on its streets.^[49] The protests were peaceful, and included members of the leading political parties marching together down Paseo de Castellana in solidarity against terrorism. More than two million people convened on Madrid's streets screaming: "not everyone is here, 208 are missing, we will never forget you" There were also people wondering "who has been?", in reference to the lack of accurate information provided by the government.^[50]^[51] March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Olive City Location Situation of Vigo within Galicia Government Parroquias Alcabre, Beade, Bembrive, Cabral, CandeÃ¡n, Castrelos, ComesaÃ±a, Coruxo, Lavadores, MatamÃ¡, Navia, Oia, SaiÃ¡ns, Sampaio, SÃ¡rdoma, Valadares, ZamÃ¡ns. ... Location Coordinates : 40Â° 23â€™N , 3Â°43â€²0â€³W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de Madrid) Website http://www. ...

However, the official rally in Barcelona, which had politicians from all political parties in attendance, resulted not only in scuffles between demonstrators of differing viewpoints but also the forced evacuation of Rodrigo Rato, Spain's Economy Minister and Vice President (later appointed to Diirector of the IMF) and Josep Piqué, president of the Partido Popular de Catalunya, who were being jossled and insulted by the angry crowd. Location Coordinates : 40Â° 23â€™N , 3Â°43â€²0â€³W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de Madrid) Website http://www. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Postal code 08001-08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... Location Coordinates : 39Â°29â€² N 0Â°22â€² W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name ValÃ¨ncia (Catalan) Spanish name Valencia Founded 137 BC Postal code 46000-46080 Website http://www. ... This article is about the city in Spain. ... Location within Spain Malaga redirects here. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Olive City Location Situation of Vigo within Galicia Government Parroquias Alcabre, Beade, Bembrive, Cabral, CandeÃ¡n, Castrelos, ComesaÃ±a, Coruxo, Lavadores, MatamÃ¡, Navia, Oia, SaiÃ¡ns, Sampaio, SÃ¡rdoma, Valadares, ZamÃ¡ns. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Zaragoza (Spanish) Spanish name Zaragoza Founded 24 Postal code 50001 - 50018 Website http://www. ... Murcia () is a city and municipality on the river Segura in southeastern Spain and the capital of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nickname: Tacita de plata (little silver cup) Location within Spain Province CÃ¡diz Mayor TeÃ³fila MartÃnez (PP) Area - City 12. ... La Muy Noble y Muy Leal e Invicta (The most noble and most loyal and undefeated) Location Location of Bilbao in Spain and Biscay Coordinates : 43,15Â° n. ... Granada â€“ Greek: (Steph. ... fuuuuuuuuuuuuccckkkkkkkkkk u Location of Alicate in Spain Alicante (Castillian Spanish) or Alacant (Valencian Catalan) is the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of the AlacantÃ, in the southern part of the Valencian community, Spain, a historic Mediterranean port. ... Santa Cruz de Tenerife (2005 population 221,627) is a Spanish city on the island of Tenerife, the largest and most populated of the Canary Islands as stated in the 2005 census. ... Plaza Mayor and city hall, Valladolid Valladolid is an industrial city and its municipality in central Spain, upon the Rio Pisuerga and within the Ribera del Duero region. ... Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a Spanish city, the capital city of Gran Canaria which is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, 210 kilometers located off the northwestern coast of Africa. ... Location Coordinates : 37Â° 53â€™N , 4Â°46â€²0â€³W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name CÃ³rdoba (Spanish) Spanish name CÃ³rdoba Founded 8th century BC Postal code 140xx Website http://www. ... A CoruÃ±a , (in English Corunna, in Spanish La CoruÃ±a, and in Galician A CoruÃ±a) is a Galician city, in north-western Spain. ... Palma de Mallorca Palma de Mallorca is the major city and port in the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. ... Pamplona (Basque: IruÃ±ea or IruÃ±a) is the capital city of Navarre, Spain. ... // [edit] This entire article was stolen http://www. ... Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. ... JaÃ©n may refer to: JaÃ©n, Spain JaÃ©n Province, Spain JaÃ©n, Peru JaÃ©n Province, Peru This is a disambiguation page â€” a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... AlmerÃa (2003 pop. ... Salamanca: Plaza Mayor Towers of the Old and New Cathedrals Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Salamanca Salamanca (population 160,000) is a city in western Spain, the capital of the province of Salamanca, which belongs to the autonomous community(region) of Castile-Leon(Castilla y LeÃ³n). ... Location map of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia Santiago de Compostela (also Saint James of Compostela) is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia. ... CastellÃ³n de la Plana (in Catalan/Valencian CastellÃ³ de la Plana) is the capital city of the province of CastellÃ³n, in the Valencian autonomous community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, by the Mediterranean Sea (40Â°N 0Â°W). ... Albacete is a city in southeastern Spain, 173 miles southeast of Madrid, the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha. ... Location within Rioja Media (La Rioja). ... The city of LeÃ³n (LliÃ³n in the Leonese language), located at 42. ... The cathedral Our Lady of Burgos. ... Vitoria (population: 224,965 (2004 est), is the capital city of the province of Ãlava and of the Comunidad Vasca Spanish autonomous region, though it is the second city of the region by population. ... The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain between Asturias (to the west) and the Basque Country (to the east). ... Badajoz (formerly Badajos), the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, is situated close to the Portuguese frontier, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid-Lisbon railway. ... Ferrol can refer to: EUROPE Ferrol, Spain City and Naval Station in North Western Spain, European Union Note: Place of birth of both Francisco Franco (1892) the Spanish dictator and Pablo Iglesias (1850) founder of PSOE and UGT. ASIA Ferrol, Romblon Small Town in the Philippines Note: The Philippines got... Ourense (Galician official name Ourense; Spanish traditional name Orense) is a town in northwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Ourense in Galicia. ... Pontevedra is a city in northwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Pontevedra in Galicia. ... Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. ... Girona (Catalan: Girona, Spanish: Gerona, French: Gérone) is a city located in the northwest of Catalonia, Spain on the confluence of the rivers Ter and Onyar. ... The following places are called CÃ¡ceres: The CÃ¡ceres province in Spain. ... For other places of the same name, see Cartagena. ... Lugo is a city in northwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Lugo in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain. ... AlcalÃ¡ de Henares is a Spanish city. ... Flag of Eivissa (Ibiza) Eivissa or Ibiza is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea (), belonging to Spain. ... For the municipality in the Philippines, see Tarragona, Davao Oriental. ... La Seu Vella, the Romanesque-Gothic old Cathedral of Lleida La Seu Vella Lleida (Catalan: Lleida, Spanish: LÃ©rida) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. ... Comarca Capital and Metropolitan Area Province Segovia Autonomous community Castilla y LeÃ³n Postal code 40001-40006 Coordinate systems - Latitude: - Longitude 40Â°57 N 4Â°10 0 Surface 1636 kmÂ² Altitude 1002 m Distance 87 km from Madrid 111 km from Valladolid Population - Total (2004) - Density 55. ... Zamora is a city in Castile-Leon, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. ... Area â€“ Total 28 kmÂ² Population â€“ Total (2005) â€“ Density 75,276 2688. ... Area â€“ Total 20 kmÂ² (8 miÂ²) Population â€“ Total (2005) â€“ Density 65,488 3274. ... Location of Cuenca in Spain Looking through an arch in old Cuenca Cuenca is a city (2004 pop. ... Lorca is a city in southeast Spain, in the autonomous community of Murcia. ... [[ Image:Toledo, Spain Toledo is a city and municipality located in central Spain, about 70 kilometers south of Madrid. ... Talavera de la Reina is a city in the western part of the province of Toledo, which in turn is part of the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. ... Palencia is a city in the northwest of the Tierra de Campos of central Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. ... Roman Theater MÃ©rida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. ... Annual temperature average: 11,6ÂºC Annual range of temperatures: 18,4ÂºC Annual precipitations: 392 mm/mÂ² Dry months: June, July, August and September Months with average temperatures under 0ÂºC: none Climate: MEDITERRANEAN CONTINENTALIZED // Introduction Medina del Campo is a small town located in the middle of de... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Postal code 08001-08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... Rodrigo Rato (born March 18, 1949) was Spains Economy Minister and Vice President serving with the Peoples Party (PP) between 1996 and 2004. ... Silvio Berlusconi making the corna at Josep PiquÃ© Josep PiquÃ© (February 21, 1955) is a politician of Partido Popular in Spain. ...

The following day, a number of Moroccans were arrested ^[11] and it became evident that ETA were not behind the attacks,^[52] and that President Aznar and his government had manipulated the media, asserting ETA as the head of the operation though there were a number of clues - like a cassette tape with verses of the Koran in a white van in Alcala de Henares - that pointed to Al-Qaeda, or at least an Islamic involvement. ^[16] The Quran (Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... Alcal de Henares is a Spanish city. ...

Again, the people of Madrid took to the streets, mainly congregating on Puerta del Sol, where there are a number of government buildings.^[53] This time the mood was not so peaceful. The group that had congregated on Puerta del Sol chanted and made an all-round racket, bashing bottles and dustbin lids, in a demonstration of anger towards Aznar.^[54] Meanwhile, people gathered in unofficial demonstrations in front of PP (Partido Popular) offices in all the major cities in Spain,^[55] apparently also provoked by the news that President Bush had expressed on the BBC his regret for the bombings coming as a result of Spain's involvement in Iraq. Notably this news came from abroad while the media in Spain seemed unable to emit any such information. The demonstrators accused the government of lying about the responsibility for the attacks and demanded that the truth be told before going to vote. ^[56] Puerta del Sol, from left to right, the House of the Post Office, Calle Mayor and the statue of Charles III The Puerta del Sol (Spanish for Sun Gate) is one of the most well known and busiest places in Madrid. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of Â£4 billion. ...

The demonstrations of the 13th were allegedly invoked via spontaneous cell phone messages ending in the phrase "pasalo" (pass it on). The candidate of the governing conservative party, Mariano Rajoy, complained on television about the demonstrations and demanded that the opposition parties condemn them.^[57] On behalf of the socialist party, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba gave a message saying that "the Spanish people do not deserve a government that lies to them" and that they had neither organized nor supported the demonstrations. SMS arrival notification on a Siemens phone Short Message Service (SMS) is a service available on most digital mobile phones (and other mobile devices, e. ... Mariano Rajoy Brey Mariano Rajoy Brey (born March 27, 1955), Spanish politician, is the leader of the opposition and of the conservative Peoples Party, (PP). ...

The conduct of the protestors on the Saturday was strictly speaking illegal: with a General Election the following day, the Saturday is designated as the "day of reflection" ("día de reflexión"), during which all political activism is banned. That being said, the many TV appearances of the PP candidate Mariano Rajoy on the same day, were illegal too. Mariano Rajoy Brey Mariano Rajoy Brey (born March 27, 1955), Spanish politician, is the leader of the opposition and of the conservative Peoples Party, (PP). ...

Rumours circulated afterwards, and were propagated by film director Pedro Almodovar on Cadena SER radio, that government ministers Eduardo Zaplana and Angel Acebes approached King Juan Carlos and asked him to approve the imposition of a Law of Exception (Ley de Excepción: effectively Martial Law) for the election to be postponed, to which the king responded that that would constitute a coup d'etat. ^[58] The PP have since threatened to sue Almodovar for his comments.^[59] Pedro Almodóvar (born September 24, 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker. ... Cadena SER logo Cadena SER (Sociedad EspaÃ±ola de RadiodifusiÃ³n - Spanish Society of Radio) is the principal radio station in Spain covering news, sports, talk shows and culture. ... King Juan Carlos I His Majesty King Juan Carlos I (Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón), styled HM The King (born January 5, 1938), is the reigning King of Spain. ... Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ...

Political

The attacks came three days before the Sunday elections. At 08:40, the ruling People's Party suspended all electoral campaigning. Shortly after, Mariano Rajoy, the People's Party candidate for prime minister, cancelled all his electoral activity for the day. The opposing Socialist Party cancelled all campaigning at 08:59. At 09:02 Prime Minister Aznar also cancelled all public appearances. REDIRECT Spanish_legislative_election,_2004 ... The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is the largest liberal conservative political party in Spain. ... Mariano Rajoy Brey Mariano Rajoy Brey (born March 27, 1955), Spanish politician, is the leader of the opposition and of the conservative Peoples Party, (PP). ... JosÃ© Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero at a meeting in San SebastiÃ¡n The Spanish Socialist Workers Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials, PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero EspaÃ±ol), is a major party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833. ...

Prime Minister Aznar spoke with King Juan Carlos, then with leaders of the political parties in parliament and with the heads of government of Spain's autonomous communities. At 10:36 a "Crisis Cabinet" was convened, including Aznar, Deputy Prime Ministers Rodrigo Rato and Javier Arenas and Interior Minister Acebes. King Juan Carlos I His Majesty King Juan Carlos I (Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón), styled HM The King (born January 5, 1938), is the reigning King of Spain. ... Spains fifty provinces (provincias) are grouped into seventeen autonomous communities (comunidades aut nomas), in addition to two African autonomous cities (ciudades aut nomas) (Ceuta and Melilla). ... Rodrigo Rato (born March 18, 1949) was Spains Economy Minister and Vice President serving with the Peoples Party (PP) between 1996 and 2004. ...

A decree declaring three days of official mourning was issued by the government,^[60] and five minutes of silence on Friday.^[61] Demonstrations were called for Friday evening in cities across the country, under the motto "With the victims, with the constitution and for the defeat of terrorism". The Catalan government led by Pasqual Maragall also declared official mourning in Catalonia. The Government chosen motto, was very criticized by all the opposition, because "with the Constitution" inclusion in the motto, implied that the bombs were set by the Basque ETA, while many in the opposition believe that it was made by a Islamic group in retaliation for having the Spanish government troops in Iraq at that moment. Pasqual Maragall i Mira (born January 13, 1941) is the 127th President of Generalitat de Catalunya (the autonomous system of government of Catalonia). ... Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan, Spanish and Aranese Area â€“ Total â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th 32,114 kmÂ² 6. ... ETA symbol or ETA (Basque for Basque Homeland and Freedom; IPA pronunciation: [) is a paramilitary Basque nationalist organization listed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, European Union and the United States in their watchlists on the matter. ...

The first government official to make an open public statement, two hours after the attacks, was Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu, head of government in the Basque Country. He unequivocally blamed ETA and said, "those who commit these atrocities are not Basque" and "ETA writes its own ending with terrible actions". In another early public appearance, Interior Minister Acebes pointed in unambiguous terms to ETA, although by the end of the day he was forced to retract his accusations and admit, "no possibilities have been discarded". ^[62] Juan JosÃ© Ibarretxe Juan JosÃ© Ibarretxe Markuartu (born May 15, 1957) is a Basque politician. ... Capital Vitoria-Gasteiz Official language(s) Spanish and Basque Area â€“ Total â€“ % of Spain Ranked 14th 7,234 kmÂ² 1. ...

The head of the Catalan government Maragall said, "We are all Madrileños today", and continued: "if terrorists intended to divide us, they will have achieved the exact opposite, and the best way to reject terror is to vote on Sunday".^[63] Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira of the Catalan nationalist party, the Republican Left of Catalonia, who had recently come under fire for secretly meeting with ETA ^[64] and advocating dialog, said that he would not communicate with ETA again, but that someone else should do so to prevent them from committing any more bloodshed. "We thought we had already seen everything, but unfortunately that was not the case", he lamented.^[65] Josep-LluÃs Carod-Rovira (born May 17, 1952) is a Catalan politician, since 1996 leader of the party ERC or Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia), a political party founded by Francesc MaciÃ i LlussÃ . ERC campaigns on a platform of independence for Catalonia (one of Spain... ERC is Northeast Ohios largest organization providing Human Resources and workplace programs, practices, training and consulting. ...

By the time Aznar and the King had made their public statements in the afternoon, doubts over ETA's involvement were substantial enough that both of them avoided naming a culprit, and they referred just to "terrorists". Aznar insisted on the need to stay the course, echoing his Interior Minister's earlier remarks.^[66]

Many people suspected that ETA was being blamed in order to hide Al-Qaeda since that could mean that the massacre was in response to the Iraq war. According to the Real Instituto Elcano, this could have resulted in the Aznar government losing the Sunday elections. ^[32] REDIRECT Spanish_legislative_election,_2004 ...

National

Most TV stations reported the attack during their regular morning news programs, starting around 08:00. The program on Antena 3 lasted until 14:00. Madrid newspapers issued special midday editions and TV stations rearranged their regular programming schedules. The public stations TVE (national) and Telemadrid (regional) did not break for commercials at all during the day. All TV stations replaced their logos with black ribbons overlaid on the Spanish flag at 18:00, visible in the upper-right corner of the television screen. That week, the satirical magazine El Jueves, known for its mordacious, highly provocative front pages, wore a black front page, for the first time in 25 years. Antena 3 TelevisiÃ³n is a Spanish television station. ... TVE may stand for: Televisión Española Township and Village Enterprise This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Front page of El Jueves, issue #1480. ...

People across Spain flocked to hospitals and mobile blood donation units in such numbers that the need for blood for transfusions was more than satisfied by 10:30, although continued donations were requested for the coming days. The deceased were moved to IFEMA, the largest convention centre in Madrid, for identification by their relatives.^[67] Blood donation is a process by which a blood donor voluntarily has blood drawn for storage in a blood bank or for subsequent use in a blood transfusion. ... A convention center is a large, cavernous public building with enough open space to host public and private business and social events for the surrounding municipal and metropolitan areas. ...

Riay Tatary Bakry, president of the Union of Muslim Communities in Spain, stated on 1 April 2004 that his organisation has no plan to publicly urge mosques to step up their battle against terrorism. He said the union will continue to work privately with government officials. ^[68] April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

International

Sympathy poured in from governments worldwide immediately following the bombings, led by Spain's partners in the European Union; France raised its terror alert level, and in Athens security was tightened at train stations and the Spanish Embassy. Similar measures were adopted in Italy. Athens (Greek: Î‘Î¸Î®Î½Î±, AthÃna IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Greece and the birthplace of democracy. ...

World leaders were united in their condemnation of the attacks. The United States, the United Kingdom and Russia said the attacks demonstrated the need for a toughened resolve against terrorists. Queen Elizabeth II sent a message of condolence to the Spanish King on behalf of the British people. A PLO/Palestinian National Authority official also condemned the attacks targeting civilians. Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of 16 sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic Munazzamat al-Tahrir Filastiniyyah منظمة تحرير فلسطينية ) is a political and paramilitary organization of Palestinian Arabs dedicated to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to consist of the... Anthem: Biladi Capital None. ...

U.S. President George W. Bush called Prime Minister Aznar and King Juan Carlos to offer his condolences to the Spanish people and condemn the "vicious attack of terrorism". He expressed "our country's deepest sympathies toward those who lost their life...I told them we weep with the families. We stand strong with the people of Spain" ^[69] The U.S. Senate observed a moment of silence and unanimously passed a resolution expressing outrage and urging Bush to "provide all possible assistance to Spain" in pursuing those responsible for the attacks. Bush led a memorial service at the Spanish ambassador's residence in Washington and gave an interview with a Spanish television network the following day.^[70] George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Seal of the U.S. Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the House of Representatives. ...

European Commission President Romano Prodi called the attack "ferocious and senseless" ^[71] The European Parliament observed a minute of silence; its president Pat Cox expressed the parliament's condolences, and a resolution was introduced proposing 11 March as a European Day of Remembrance of Victims of Terrorism. ^[71] Pope John Paul II condemned the bombings in a message to Catholic church leaders in Spain. Many nations extended offers of material support to the Spanish government. By 17 March, governments around Europe had voiced their concerns that the Spanish government had jeopardized their security by feeding them false information about ETA's involvement. ^[72] On 17 March 2004, Otto Schily, German interior minister, called for a special European summit ^[73] to deal with Madrid bombings. The summit was held on 25-26 March 2004.^[74] The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ... (born August 9, 1939) is a centre-left Italian politician. ... Pat Cox during a discussion at the 2004 Karlspreis ceremonies Pat Cox (born 28 November 1952) is an Irish politician and former television current affairs presenter. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), (Italian: Giovanni Paolo II), born (May 18, 1920 â€“ April 2, 2005) reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from October 16... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... Otto Georg Schily (SPD; born July 20, 1932) was Federal Minister of the Interior of Germany from 1998-2005, in the cabinet of former Bundeskanzler Gerhard SchrÃ¶der. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with European Council. ... (Redirected from 25 March) March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ...

The UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1530 condemning the bombings.^[75] This happened early in the day and, at the request of the Spanish government, the resolution accused ETA unambiguously of being responsible. The resolution "condemns in the strongest terms the bomb attack in Madrid, Spain, perpetrated by the terrorist group ETA".^[76] After al-Qaeda involvement became clear, Germany and Russia voiced their concern over Spain's hasty assurances and suggested adding the word "allegedly" to the statement. ^[72] On 15 March, Spain's ambassador to the UN Inocencio Arias submitted an unapologetic letter updating the Security Council on the progress of the investigation, repeating that the Spanish government had "the strong conviction" that ETA was involved. ^[77] UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said, "I think there is a lesson here for everybody, including the council members". ^[77] A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. ...

The human rights group Amnesty International condemned the attack saying that attacks targeting civilians could never be justified. The organisation also pointed out that killing of civilians on such a scale may constitute a crime against humanity ^[78] Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) comprising a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.[1] Essentially it compares actual practices of human rights with internationally accepted standards and demands compliance where these have not been respected. ... A crime against humanity is a term in international law that refers to acts of persecution or any large scale atrocities against a body of people, as being the criminal offence above all others. ...

UEFA and the Spanish Government and Football Federation decided that Spanish football teams due to play matches on 11 March and 12 should do so, lest they give the impression that the militants had disrupted normal life, and the teams complied with this decision. Out of respect for the victims, members of Spanish football teams wore black armbands. The Spanish Government and Football Federation asked that all games involving Spanish teams begin with a moment of silence for the victims. UEFA logo The Union of European Football Associations, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced (you-AY-fuh) or (oo-Ay-fuh) or ), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... (Redirected from 12 March) March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in Leap years). ...

Leaders across the world sent letters of mourning to Juan Carlos and Prime Minister José María Aznar. Most EU countries declared 12 March a day of national mourning as a sign of solidarity. There were demonstrations in cities across Europe and the Spanish-speaking world on 12 March, including Brussels, Paris, Lisbon, Helsinki, Geneva, Berlin, Stockholm, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Bogotá. King Juan Carlos I His Majesty King Juan Carlos I (Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón), styled HM The King (born January 5, 1938), is the reigning King of Spain. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area - City 162 (Region) kmÂ² (62. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France RÃ©gion ÃŽle-de-France DÃ©partement Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand DelanoÃ« (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... Location - Country Portugal - Region Lisbon - Subregion Grande Lisboa - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues - Party PSD Area 84. ... Founded 1550 Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Area[1] - Of which land - Rank 185. ... Geneva (pronunciation //; French: GenÃ¨ve //, German: //, Italian: Ginevra) is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after ZÃ¼rich), and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... (IPA: ; UN/LOCODE: SE STO) is the capital of Sweden, and consequently the site of its Government and Parliament as well as the residence of the Swedish head of state, King Carl XVI Gustaf. ... Coordinates: Found 1536, 1580 Mayor Jorge Telerman Area - City 203 kmÂ² (78. ... (Spanish: Ciudad de MÃ©xico, MÃ©xico D.F. or simply MÃ©xico, pronounced IPA: ) is the capital city of the nation of Mexico. ... Nickname: Athens of Latin America Motto: BogotÃ¡, 2600 metros mÃ¡s cerca de las estrellas BogotÃ¡, 2600 metres closer to the stars Municipalities of BogotÃ¡ Country Colombia Department BogotÃ¡, D.C.* Foundation August 6, 1538 Mayor LuÃs Eduardo GarzÃ³n, PDA Area - City 1,732 kmÂ² Elevation 2,640...

Cuban President Fidel Castro was more critical, however. Speaking during a television interview on 13 March 2004 in Havana, Castro accused Spain's government of deceiving its citizens over the Madrid train bombings for electoral gain. He went on to assert that Prime Minister José María Aznar had known an Islamic group was behind the explosions on 11 March, but preferred to blame ETA ahead of the general elections which were due just three days away. ^[68]] Germany too condemned Aznar, who had been kept in the dark about the fact that the explosives used were not of the type used by ETA.^[79] Otto Schily accused Aznar of not acting responsibly by claiming that the perpetrators were ETA - therefore a national problem - rather than Al-Qaeda, which ought to have heightened the threat to other countries.^[80] Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba but on indefinite medical hiatus. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Havana (Spanish in full: La Habana, formerly named San CristÃ³bal de La Habana; UN/LOCODE: CU HAV) is the capital of Cuba and of one of the 14 provinces of Cuba, the one named Ciudad de La Habana), with a population of more than 2. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ...

Germany hastily arranged an urgent meeting of European Union security chiefs on 14 March 2004 as possible al-Qaeda involvement in the Madrid bombings set alarm bells ringing across the world. On the same day, Queen Elizabeth II asked that the Spanish national anthem be played during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.^[81] March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The attacks also reawakened fears of terrorism amongst investors with most European stock markets falling between two and three percent on 11 March. Stocks dropped in London and in New York, with the U.S. Dow Jones Industrial Average diving after speculation of involvement by al-Qaeda. Airline and tourism related stocks were particularly affected by sharp declines in share prices. In Tokyo, stocks opened sharply lower the next day.^[82]^[83] The New York Stock Exchange A stock market is a market for the trading of company stock, and derivatives of same; both of these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... The Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DJI) is one of several stock market indices created by Wall Street Journal editor and Dow Jones & Company founder Charles Dow. ... Tokyo , literally Eastern capital) is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, the home of the Japanese Imperial Family, and the de facto[1] capital of Japan. ...

On 15 March, at the request of Irish leader Bertie Ahern, then President of the European Council, all of Europe observed three minutes of silence at noon Central European Time (CET) ^[84] March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The European Council, informally called the European summit, is a meeting of the heads of state or government of the European Union, and the President of the European Commission. ...