Spanish Prime Minister José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero on Friday downplayed the latest threat against Spain by the terrorist organisation Al Qaeda, saying the government was working hard to prevent attacks against Spanish interests. "We've been receiving more or less explicit threats for a long time now (and) it's nothing new although this time it's gotten a lot of press play," he said in a radio interview.
| He has to downplay it, otherwise it calls into question his wimpy response to Islamicist terrorism since the day he took office. |
In a video released this week, Al Qaeda's number two, Ayman al Zawahiri, urged Muslims to "clean the Islamic Maghreb of the sons of France and Spain." Al Zawahiri was apparently referring to Spain's two enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, located on the coast of North Africa which is known in Arabic as the Maghreb.
| He was also referring to every European currently in North Africa. |
Spain, the premier said, has been working for some time "to prevent radical Islamic acts instigated by Al Qaeda" and lauded the actions of the Spanish intelligence services and police in North Africa in countering such threats. |