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Police "let Madrid bomb suspects go"
EFL
Spanish police were agonisingly close to foiling the Madrid train bombings, it was disclosed yesterday.
Everyone: How close were they?
A car carrying the explosives used in the March 11 massacre was stopped by police but its Arab driver was fined only for a minor traffic offence, it was reported.
Answer: So close they could have prevented some of the explosions.
The boot of the Volkswagen was packed with 220 lb of industrial dynamite being transported to Madrid after it had been stolen from a coal mine at Aviles in northern Spain during the last week of February, the El Pais newspaper said.
The boot? Must be some English slang.
The car, which had been stolen, was stopped by two Civil Guard patrolmen near Benavente, in the province of Leon, north of Madrid. But their suspicions were not aroused becuase they always stop cars with dynamite in the "boot" being driven by guys named Jalam when they checked the car’s registration as the owner had not yet reported it missing. They failed to recognise that the driver was not the registered owner.
But they did note he was missing all of his fingers and his legs were in the back seat.
The driver was fined for a minor infringement and allowed to drive on. Three of the four bombing suspects are thought to have been in the car.
Hope they pay that fine. Those late fees are a bitch.
Posted by: Dragon Fly 2004-03-29
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=29301