Madrid Bombing Suspects Blow Themselves Up

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2004-04-04 12:47am

The BBC Reports.

The BBC wrote:Madrid suspects killed in blast
A policeman and three men suspected of carrying out the Madrid train bombings have been killed in an explosion in a suburb of the Spanish capital.

Interior Minister Angel Acebes said the blast was set off by the suspects as police closed in on an apartment in Leganes, south of Madrid. Eleven police officers were hurt in the blast, some of them seriously. Police said they had been looking for three men in connection with the 11 March attacks on trains in Madrid.

"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," Mr Acebes said. "There are three that blew themselves up, but the possibility of more is not ruled out.

"Police believe some of the terrorists... could have been some sought by the security forces as the alleged perpetrators of the killings of March 11."

The BBC's Katya Adler in Madrid says the minister refused to identify the men, but Spanish media describe them as young Islamist militants of Moroccan origin.

'Chanting in Arabic'

Mr Acebes said the police operation began on Saturday, when security officers approached an apartment in a block in Leganes. The suspects spotted them from a window and they "started shooting from the apartment, chanting in Arabic", he said. Police then evacuated residents in the building and the surrounding area, and cordoned it off. A team then re-entered the apartment block, on Irene Fernandez street.

Mr Acebes said it was at that point that the suspects set off a huge explosion in the apartment that the police were seeking to search, in an attempt to resist arrest. Mr Acebes said it was possible a fourth person had escaped the area before it was cordoned off by police. The blast reportedly blew away the brick building's roof and part of the outside wall.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion sent a shower of shattered glass into the air and thick grey smoke billowed over the area. Our correspondent says frightened residents crowded onto the nearby streets.

"This is a very quiet neighbourhood... But it's places like this where these people try to hide," a resident told Reuters news agency.

Some 20 families were put up in a hotel because they could not return to their damaged homes. Police later lifted the cordon and traffic resumed, according to Spanish news agency Efe.

Arrests

The operation came as part of the ongoing investigation into the 11 March attacks on four commuter trains in Madrid. One hundred and ninety one people died in Europe's worst terror attack since the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. Islamist militants connected to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network are thought to have carried out the bombings.

Fifteen people have already been arrested in connection with the attacks.

Earlier on Saturday, Mr Acebes said tests had confirmed that a bomb found on a high-speed railway line the day before contained the same explosive as the Madrid bombs. But he added that it was still too soon to draw any conclusions about who planted the unexploded device.

Army vehicles and helicopters are patrolling key parts of the Spanish rail network following Friday's alert.

Interesting way to resist arrest. Although I have to commend the Madrid authorities in being able to track down these fuckers, especially when you consider the 'cell style' layout terrorists now days seem to have.

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-04-04 12:51am

It is sad that a policeman dies and the militants could not be arrested. If they were apprehended a lot of information about these terrorists could have been learned.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-04-04 12:57am

Is it OK now to officially label fundamentalist Islam as a suicidal death cult?

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2004-04-04 12:59am

Joe wrote:Is it OK now to officially label fundamentalist Islam as a suicidal death cult?

Coitenly~ It's been ok to label the fundies as such for 30 years

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-04-04 01:05am

Joe wrote:Is it OK now to officially label fundamentalist Islam as a suicidal death cult?

Yes. Fundermentalist Islam is a death cult since they advocate suicide bombings.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2004-04-04 01:27am

Joe wrote:Is it OK now to officially label fundamentalist Islam as a suicidal death cult?

No, it's not. Those people aren't "true Muslims." The passages telling them to kill people in the Qa'ran are just being "misinterpreted." Islam is a "religion of peace." If you say otherwise, you must be a racist or something, you fucking Muslim-hating bastard.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2004-04-04 01:44am

And the unstoppable march of Newspeak continues.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-04-04 01:58am

Durandal wrote:No, it's not. Those people aren't "true Muslims." The passages telling them to kill people in the Qa'ran are just being "misinterpreted." Islam is a "religion of peace." If you say otherwise, you must be a racist or something, you fucking Muslim-hating bastard.

Mock it though you may, to my knowledge that is the truth in lots of cases. Much of the Qa'ran seems to advocate tolerance and coexistance. Of course, much of the Qa'ran also advocates violence. Depends on which disciple of Mohommad stuck that part in, I guess.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-04-04 03:08am

Guess these guys aren't suspects no more.

Sad about the policeman, though, poor bastard

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-04-04 04:46am

Howedar wrote:
Durandal wrote:No, it's not. Those people aren't "true Muslims." The passages telling them to kill people in the Qa'ran are just being "misinterpreted." Islam is a "religion of peace." If you say otherwise, you must be a racist or something, you fucking Muslim-hating bastard.
Mock it though you may, to my knowledge that is the truth in lots of cases. Much of the Qa'ran seems to advocate tolerance and coexistance. Of course, much of the Qa'ran also advocates violence. Depends on which disciple of Mohommad stuck that part in, I guess.

Actualy none of the Sahabis(disples of the prophet) was responsible any of the passages. All the passages were direct revelations from God.

You may have confused the passages from Quran with the Hadis which is about the life the prophet and his key disples.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-04-04 09:05pm

Okay, now that we're back on topic: Thanks for the link, Crown. I have use for this. Got someone on another board still claiming that the ETA did it. This'll put a damper on that, I'm sure. And I gotta agree with you on the Madrid police. Its not exactly the easiest thing in the world to track down a cell that small, I'm sure.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-04-04 09:16pm

Can we get a split-to link on the other bit?

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2004-04-04 09:17pm

Joe wrote:Is it OK now to officially label fundamentalist Islam as a suicidal death cult?

In all fairness to Muslims, they only commit suicide as a last result. They'd use guns against us infadels if they had the same kill ratio as explosives.

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2004-04-04 09:18pm

Howedar wrote:Can we get a split-to link on the other bit?

Here it is, in SLAM.