March 13, 2004
Update on 3/11 Attacks in Madrid
Fox News, CNN, and Washington Post all reporting that Spanish Police have made five arrests: 3 Moroccans and 2 Indians.
A 10-15 member cell is suspected in the attacks.
Looking more and more like Al-Qaeda.
UPDATE: 3:10 EST El Mundo reports that 5,000 people have gathered in front of the HQ of the Partido Popular (PM Aznar's Party). Apparently some of them are holding signs saying that Aznar's stance on the Iraq war is to blame.
UPDATE 3:12 EST Sign spotted on the feed coming in to FNC: "Aznar, por tu culpa pagamos todos." (Aznar, we're all paying for your crimes.)
UPDATE 3:23 EST: This cartoon from the USA (Kevin Siers of the Charlotte, NC Observer)
UPDATE 3:31 EST: Golan from HispaLibertas comments:Bien, dos días después de los terribles atentados en Madrid va avanzando la investigación para atrapar a los cabrones que cometieron esa monstruosidad.
En mi opinión, cada vez tiene menos peso la hipótesis de la autoría de ETA (aunque no la considero descartada por completo). En primer momento pensé (como, creo, casi todo el mundo) que el atentado era obra de ellos. Actualmente creo que las dos opciones con más posibilidades son o un grupo islámico o una escisión de ETA estilo a lo que ocurrió con el IRA Auténtico. Ya iremos viendo, estas cosas llevan tiempo. Aunque algunos crean que llevan 5 minutos y que Aznar ya sabe hasta la comida favorita de los asesinos.
Quiero reiterar (y la verdad es que me resulta ridículo sentirme en la necesidad de reafirmarlo) que da igual quien haya sido. El terrorismo no tiene justificación. Y quienes afirman que en caso de haber sido islamistas la culpa (o la responsabilidad) es de Aznar es equivalente a decir que ese ataque está justificado. Y si eso fuese correcto, deberían echarle la culpa al gobierno también aunque sea ETA, por no concederles lo que piden para que no nos ataquen.
Mañana hay unas elecciones en España. No creo que deban suspenderse, ni retrasarse ni repetirse después de pasado un tiempo, ni nada de nada. Deben celebrarse, que la gente vote, que el que gane gobierne y el que pierda lo acepte.
Por último, sobre la manifestación ""espontánea"" que se ha producido ante la sede del Pardido Popular para exigir al PP que diera la información que supuestamente (según los SERpontáneos) estaba ocultando. A parte de ilegal, ha sido algo bastante siniestro. Lo que implicaba de forma lógica esa manifestación es: han sido los islamistas, con razón, y el gobierno lo oculta porque sabe que es su culpa que los islamistas nos ataquen. Me remito a lo que he puesto dos párrafos más arriba.
My admittedly rough translation:Well, two days after the terrible attacks in Madrid, the investigation to trap the bastards who commited this monstrosity has advanced.
In my opinion, every minute gives less weight to the hypothesis of ETA authorship (even though they're they've not been completely ruled out). In this moment I think (as, I believe, almost all of the world), that the attack was their work. Actually, I believe that the two opinions wi the most possibility are an islamic group or a splinterin of the ETA like what happened with the Real IRA. We will see with time. Even though some people think that give them five minutes and Aznar will be on the terrorist's menu.
I want to reiterate (and the truth is that it seems ridiculous to reaffirm this), that it doesn't matter who has done this. Terrorism has no justification. And those who say that if this was Islamists than the fault (or the responsibility) is Aznar's is equivalent to saying that the attack was justified. And if this is correct, then they should also throw the fault at the government also even though it was ETA, to give them what they ask for so they don't attack us.
Tomorrow there are elections in Spain. I don't believe they should be suspedned, nor delayed, nor repeated at a later time, not nothing of nothing. We should celebrate that the citizens vote, that those who win govern and those who lose accept it.
Finally, this "spontaneous" demostration that is going on in front of the headquarters of the Partido Popular to demand that the PP give the information (according to the socialists) they are supposedly hiding. Besides being illegal, this is somewhat sinster. What this all means in logical form is: this was the islamists, with reaon, and the goviernment is hiding it because they know it's their fault the islamists attacked us. I reminde them of what I said two paragraphs above.
UPDATE 4:34 PM. Fox News is reporting that Norwegian Intelligence has pulled documents from an Al Qaeda server stating that Spain was a target because of their support for Iraq war. (Nothing about Spain being "Muslim" territory?) Details soon.
Posted by Thief at March 13, 2004 02:50 PM