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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: abuelita who wrote (41244)	4/4/2004 12:14:39 AM
From: T L Comiskey	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Message 19984414

To: abuelita who wrote (41244)	4/4/2004 9:31:47 AM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Blast Rocks Madrid Suburb _________________________ 3 Suspected in Train Attacks Detonate Explosives, Killing Themselves By Pamela Rolfe Special to The Washington Post Sunday, April 4, 2004; Page A01 MADRID -- At least three suspects in last month's deadly train bombings in Madrid detonated explosives and killed themselves Saturday as special forces stormed a suburban apartment where they were hiding, Spain's interior minister said. One policeman was killed and 15 others were injured in the blast, which tore the walls off a building that police had surrounded in the southern Madrid suburb of Leganes, Interior Minister Angel Acebes told reporters. He said that police had identified the apartment as being occupied by suspects in the March 11 rush-hour attacks on four commuter trains that killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800. Spanish authorities have arrested 15 suspects in an ongoing investigation of the rail attacks. Six have been charged with mass murder and nine with collaborating with or belonging to a terrorist organization. Eleven of those in custody are Moroccan. Acebes said that while the investigation into the blast on Saturday night was still at an early stage, it was likely the men who killed themselves were among additional suspects identified in international arrest warrants issued in connection with the attacks. The late-night blast in Leganes, a quiet residential city of 175,000 10 miles south of the capital, came a day after authorities defused a bomb found on a high-speed rail line that links Madrid with Seville. Acebes said the suspects at the apartment building fired guns and shouted and chanted in Arabic when they realized plainclothes officers were approaching. The officers called for support from special forces agents, and cordoned off and evacuated neighboring buildings before moving toward the apartment. "The special police agents prepared to storm the building and when they started to execute the plan, the terrorists set off a powerful explosion, blowing themselves up," Acebes said. "There are three that could have blown themselves up, but the possibility of more is not ruled out," he said, adding that the force of the explosion was so strong that it would take time to identify remains. Acebes also said it was possible that one or more other suspects had escaped before the explosion, which tore the sides from the four-story apartment building, exposing support pillars and a caved-in ceiling. Helicopters circled overhead and floodlights lit up the wreckage after the blast, witnesses said. Pieces of concrete littered the floor and wires dangled from the ceilings, The Associated Press reported. Acebes also said that authorities confirmed that explosives found Friday under tracks used by Spain's high-speed AVE train were the same as those used in the March 11 attacks. "It's the same type of explosive and it's the same brand," Acebes said. The 26-pound package bomb was planted about 40 miles south of Madrid. Its discovery stopped six bullet trains using the line. Because the bag containing the bomb was dry after a night of rain, authorities said they believed it was placed on the track early Friday. A 450-foot-long cable was attached to the detonator. Officials said the bomb failed to detonate because it was not properly wired. Train schedules had been paralyzed for a day, disrupting travel plans at the start of the extended Easter vacation. Authorities on Friday stepped up security on Spain's entire rail network. On Saturday, soldiers, police and Civil Guard officers patrolled the targeted rail lines, the Associated Press reported. Acebes said that train schedules returned to normal on Saturday. Another bomb was found partially buried beneath a French railroad track on March 24 about 100 miles southeast of Paris, triggering a massive inspection of France's rail network. Authorities have not said whether they suspect any connection to the bombs in Spain. Acebes said that the investigation into the March 11 attacks was focused on the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, which is listed by the State Department as a terrorist organization. Investigating magistrate Juan del Olmo issued an international arrest warrant for a Tunisian, identified as Sarhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, which it described as the leader of the group suspected of carrying out the train bombings. The judge also issued warrants for five Moroccans. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported Saturday that the Spanish Embassy in Egypt received a letter from an Islamic militant group threatening new attacks if Spain did not withdraw its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. © 2004 The Washington Post Company