April 03, 2004

I THOUGHT SPAIN WAS SAFE NOW

Three weeks after the 3-11 massacre and the surprise win of the Socialists in Spain's general election, Spain should be safe from Al-Qaeda, right? After all, Zapatero promised to withdraw the 1,300 troops from Iraq if he won, which is what the terrorists wanted, right? Right?

Wrong:

Spanish police found explosives Friday on a high-speed rail line between Madrid and Seville, near Toledo. A train employee called in bomb-disposal experts, who discovered a suspicious bag that had 22-24 pounds of dynamite, 430 feet of cable and a detonator inside, Interior Minister Angel Acebes said.

Information is still coming in, and it's not yet clear who the authors may be. We may be heading to another "ETA or Al-Qaeda" game. ETA has committed identical actions several times in the past, but unlike what the expert quoted in Fox News is saying, Spanish media are just confirming that according to the first analysis the explosives found matches exactly those used in the simultaneous attacks on March 11, so it may well be Islamist-related again. Which raises the worrying possibility that there may be more explosive devices yet to be found. All railway traffic in the area is stopped, and the police are searching thoroughly. At the same time, this comes just one day after three letter bombs addressed to media were intercepted by Spanish police.

Will update this entry as new relevant information arrives.

UPDATE. Interior Minister Angel Acebes, in a press conference, confirmed that the bomb contained 12 kilos of -with the caveat that scientific tests were still to be finished- Goma 2 Eco, the same used on March 11. There was no warning; it was discovered by a railway company security employee during a routine check of the line, who found the not-fully assembled bomb, which seems to indicate the authors had to flee in a hurry while planting the device (I hope these guys don't have anything to do with it...). The package was completely dry, even though it had been raining all night in the area, which suggests that it was placed there early in the morning.

[Posted by Franco Alemán from HispaLibertas]

Posted by Tim Blair at April 3, 2004 01:16 AM
Comments

OT, dear readers, but don't miss this fine example of liberal compassion from the Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2004/4/1/144156/3224/16

Posted by: Bruce at April 3, 2004 at 01:56 AM

Leftists and Socialstis = idiot.

Posted by: Dwayne at April 3, 2004 at 01:58 AM

That darned Bin Laden. He doesn't understand that the occupation is halal if it gets special dispensation from the secratary-general of the UN (or is attempting to get such dispensation).

Three weeks after the 3-11 massacre and the surprise win of the Socialists in Spain's general election, Spain should be safe from Al-Qaeda, right? After all, Zapatero promised to withdraw the 1,300 troops from Iraq if he won, which is what the terrorists wanted, right? Right?

Plus you quoted a report that an supposedly Al-Qaeada affiliated group called a truce.

Posted by: Andjam at April 3, 2004 at 02:09 AM

After all, Zapatero promised to withdraw the 1,300 troops from Iraq if he won, which is what the terrorists wanted, right? Right?

Well, he'd be happy to keep them in if they received a special dispensation from the UN. As the terrorists want the troops out regardless of whether or not there's a UN mandate, it's still possible for Zapatero to keep his promise but still not give in to the terrorists.

Posted by: Andjam at April 3, 2004 at 02:14 AM

But we just fed the crocodile!

Posted by: Rob Read at April 3, 2004 at 03:47 AM

As the terrorists want the troops out regardless of whether or not there's a UN mandate, it's still possible for Zapatero to keep his promise but still not give in to the terrorists.

Unlike Latham, who has pretty much put Australia's bum up in the air and handed the terrorists a jar of vaseoline.

Posted by: Michael at April 3, 2004 at 03:52 AM

You mean that terrorists are not sane rational people who you can negotiate with? You mean they will keep bombing regardless of what you do to appease them? Say it isn't so!!

Posted by: Rob at April 3, 2004 at 08:07 AM

Why is there this fantasy that terrorists have a deep, abiding respect for the UN? Didn't they blow up the damn thing in Baghdad?

Posted by: Quentin George at April 3, 2004 at 09:07 AM

Y'know, I'm beginning to suspect that the whole thing has been ETA from the get-go, with AQ just grabbing the credit for 3/11.

And wouldn't THAT be a bite in the nose for the Spanish electorate.

Posted by: Old Grouch at April 3, 2004 at 09:34 AM

You may pay the Dane Geld, but you never settle the Dane Geld....

The Dane-Geld
by Rudyard Kipling

IT IS always a temptation to an armed and agile nation,
To call upon a neighbour and to say:—
“We invaded you last night—we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away.”
And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you’ve only to pay ’em the Dane-geld
And then you’ll get rid of the Dane!

It is always a temptation to a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say:—
“Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away.”

And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we’ve proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray,
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to says:—

“We never pay any one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost,
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!”

Posted by: brian at April 3, 2004 at 11:15 AM

I just read that after finding the bombs that Spain scheduled another election in three days. This time the race is between a fuzzy bunny and a marshmallow.

Damn, where is that link...

I'll post it when I find it. I think it was Reuters.

Posted by: John Davies at April 3, 2004 at 12:04 PM

Oh deary me ! But we had Bin Laden;s "word" that Spain would be safe afte Zap's genuflection to Islam.
these Guys must be from ETA!
Wait for this spin prhaps from the Beeb.

Posted by: davo at April 3, 2004 at 01:02 PM