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Spanish officials say al-Qaeda affiliate behind Madrid attacks
Authorities here suspect the attacks were coordinated by the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, which was founded in 1993 by Islamic fundamentalists who, like al-Qaidaâs Osama bin Laden, were veterans of the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Several of the groupâs members also have been convicted in Morocco of involvement in suicide bombings last year that struck, among other targets, a Spanish cultural center in Casablanca. The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported earlier this week that nine members of the group are being held by the U.S. government at its prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - presumably seized during the U.S. effort to capture bin Laden in Afghanistan. There was no immediate confirmation from U.S. authorities. Spanish press reports also have said that eight more suspects are being sought throughout Europe and that members of the group have lived in a variety of countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Egypt and Turkey. The possible involvement of the group raises questions about how well international law enforcement is able to monitor known Islamic terrorists. U.S. authorities last week said there had been no "chatter" picked up prior to the bombings to alert authorities that Islamic terrorists were planning an action.Meanwhile, Spanish Interior Minister Angel Acebes said Wednesday that Spain would tighten security at airports, train stations and sporting events in line with similar steps adopted by a majority of European Union countries. Few details of the security steps were provided, but Acebes said the steps had been approved by both of Spainâs leading political parties. Acebes declined to answer specific questions about the investigation, however, saying the judge responsible for the case had ordered information sealed. No Spanish official is publicly saying that the Basque separatist group ETA has been eliminated as a suspect in the attacks. But a week after the bombings it is clear that much of what Spanish police first reported about the attacksâ possible links to ETA was incorrect. Spanish police originally said the train bombers had used titadyne, the same type of explosive that ETA had stolen by the ton in France. Two days later, they corrected that, saying the explosive was actually Goma 2 ECO, but still insisted that ETA also used that explosive. But Spanish police now acknowledge that Goma in fact isnât commonly used by ETA. Spanish police now also say there were few similarities between detonators used in the train bombings and those captured previously from ETA. Spanish police last week said the detonators were similar; police now admit the detonators in the latest bombings were made of copper, while ETA prefers aluminum. Spanish police appeared to be taking great interest in immigrants in the Lavapies neighborhood of Madrid, where Zougam, who operated a cell phone store, was arrested Saturday. At least four immigrants from Morocco, India and South America were stopped by officers asking for their work papers. Some who couldnât prove their legal status were arrested. Neighbors watched silently and tried to go about their business as usual. Other officers were in the neighborhood for more than an hour the night before, searching ZougamÂŽs phone store and filling two boxes with his belongings. Hasoum Khamlichi, a Moroccan who sells televisions and other electronics in the neighborhood, watched as the police searched ZougamÂŽs shop. He said he is "friendly" with Zougam "but weâre not close friends. Everybody knows him. Heâs been here for three years. I bought my mobile phone from him. I took my friends to buy mobile phones from him." He said he often saw Zougam praying at the mosque on Fridays and that he never saw him drink or smoke. "Some people say he sold phones and made bombs; others say he just sold phones," Khamlichi said. "I donât know. The people who died were just trying to make a living, and many of them had hard lives. I want the right people to be in jail for that, the guilty people, but so far there hasnât been a lot of concrete evidence." Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-03-18 |
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