Reuters News Article Madrid bomb suspects identified Tue 16 March, 2004 08:06 AM
By Daniel Flynn MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police believe they have identified six Moroccan Islamic militants who carried out train blasts which killed 200 people in Madrid and helped usher the opposition Socialists into power, media have reported. Spanish newspapers and radio reported that police believe one of the Moroccans, who is already under arrest, may have had links to last May's bombings in Casablanca which killed 45 people, including 12 suicide bombers. Citing security sources, the papers said the suspect, Jamal Zougam, had been identified by two survivors of the rush-hour train blast who said they saw him before the explosions. An Interior Ministry spokesman was not immediately available for comment. Moroccan officials have previously challenged theories of any direct link between the Casablanca bombing and Spain's worst ever guerrilla attack. Thursday's bombing, which authorities initially blamed on armed Basque separatists ETA, sparked widespread anger at Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's support for the US-led Iraq war. Following his shock win, Spain's new prime minister-elect, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said on Monday he would probably pull Madrid's troops out of a "disastrous" occupation of Iraq unless the United Nations takes charge there by mid-year. The suspicions of many Spaniards that the ruling centre-right Popular Party was not revealing all it knew about the bombings, which also wounded 1,500 people, helped sweep the government out of office. Aznar's government backed down on Monday in its assertion that only ETA was responsible for the train bombings, telling the United Nations it was investigating foreign nationals. Despite misgivings, the 15-member U.N. Security Council had adopted an unusual resolution hours after the attack identifying ETA as the perpetrator. Noting the growing signs that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda was involved, some analysts said it could be an alarming first case of Islamist militants influencing, by violence, the outcome of a major Western election. Zapatero denied at a news conference on Monday that his success was a "victory for terrorism", saying: "In Spain, there was a desire for change." SHARES SLUMP Some 12 billion euros (eight billion pounds) was wiped off the value of Spain's leading companies on Monday as the stock market slumped over the suspicions of al Qaeda's involvement in the attacks and uncertainties over the Socialists' economic agenda. Interviewed on a Spanish radio station, Zapatero said the Iraq war had been a disaster and must have consequences. "There has been one already -- the election result. The second will be that the Spanish troops will come back," he said. A U.S. official, who asked not to be named, said Washington could push for a new U.N. resolution before it hands back sovereignty to Iraqis by the end of June, to encourage allies such as Spain to keep their troops in Iraq. Poland, which works closely with Spain in Iraq, warned the incoming Madrid government that pulling out could be seen as weakness after the Madrid bombings. U.S. officials called Spanish troops a critical part of the Iraqi occupation force. Analysts said a withdrawal could further tax an already strained American military. Reporting on the progress of the bomb probe, Interior Minister Angel Acebes said on Monday that autopsies had turned up no evidence that suicide bombers were involved. Private radio station Cadena Ser reported that investigators believed a video tape claiming responsibility for the attacks in the name of al Qaeda was authentic. An anonymous caller directed Spanish police to the tape. EMERGENCY TALKS The European Union (EU) called emergency counter-terrorism talks in response to the Madrid attacks and Spain said it would host a meeting of anti-terrorist services from across the bloc in the next few days. A memorial service for people killed in the attack was due to be held at a Madrid cathedral on Tuesday evening. Zapatero, expected to take office in about a month, said his immediate priority would be "fighting terrorism" and promised to improve relations with France and Germany that were chilled by their disagreement over Aznar's support for the Iraq war. Zapatero's win has changed the EU's balance of power, robbing pro-U.S. supporters of the Iraq war, led by Britain, of an important ally. The PP prime ministerial candidate defeated by Zapatero, Mariano Rajoy, said he would stay on as party leader. U.S. President George W. Bush called to congratulate 43-year-old Zapatero on Monday. "The two leaders said they both looked forward to working together, particularly on our shared commitment to fighting terrorism," a White House spokesman said. With 164 seats in the lower house of parliament, 12 short of an absolute majority, Zapatero said he intends to govern through "dialogue" with other groups. He ruled out a coalition with regional parties. --Additional reporting by Adrian Croft, Elisabeth O'Leary, Mark Trevelyan, Daniel Trotta, Katherine Baldwin in Madrid, Paul Taylor in Brussels, Steve Holland in Washington, Evelyn Leopold at the United Nation. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
