Massive attacks against trains in Spain/Madrid

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-03-11 10:32am

Holy shit! This is huge...... The Spanish were among the first to offer aid after Sept. 11th, we MUST offer whatever we can. Any word on relief agencies being mobilized to collect donations yet?

Sharp-kun · Post by **Sharp-kun** » 2004-03-11 10:41am

Col. Crackpot wrote:Holy shit! This is huge...... The Spanish were among the first to offer aid after Sept. 11th, we MUST offer whatever we can. Any word on relief agencies being mobilized to collect donations yet?

Does spain not have the infrastructure to deal with the aftermath mostly by itself?

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-03-11 10:45am

Sharp-kun wrote:Does spain not have the infrastructure to deal with the aftermath mostly by itself?

It's the thought that counts.

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2004-03-11 10:46am

Sharp-kun wrote:
Col. Crackpot wrote:Holy shit! This is huge...... The Spanish were among the first to offer aid after Sept. 11th, we MUST offer whatever we can. Any word on relief agencies being mobilized to collect donations yet?
Does spain not have the infrastructure to deal with the aftermath mostly by itself?

Yes. The help will come through other, more covert means. The hunting season for the culprits has just started, and the U.S toys and human resources will surely play a role in it.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-03-11 11:02am

I'm pretty sure MI6 and the CIA have dealt with ETA before. It's not like they only play around with al-Qaeda anyway.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2004-03-11 11:10am

Admiral Valdemar wrote:I'm pretty sure MI6 and the CIA have dealt with ETA before. It's not like they only play around with al-Qaeda anyway.

ETA was friendly with the IRA so it is a safe bet that British intelligence takes note of them.

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2004-03-11 11:10am

Spain is far more sofisticated in anti-terrorist intelligence than most people give them credit for.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2004-03-11 11:14am

Crown wrote:Spain is far more sofisticated in anti-terrorist intelligence than most people give them credit for.

True, but realistically their country does lack some resources that could be more easily provided by other countries.

I'll be on a flight to Spain in three hours. I'll try and let you know how things were when I get back (maybe five days?), but I suspect that you'll have almost as much knowledge as I will, by then.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-03-11 11:17am

Master of Ossus wrote:
Crown wrote:Spain is far more sofisticated in anti-terrorist intelligence than most people give them credit for.
True, but realistically their country does lack some resources that could be more easily provided by other countries.

I'll be on a flight to Spain in three hours. I'll try and let you know how things were when I get back (maybe five days?), but I suspect that you'll have almost as much knowledge as I will, by then.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is it you do that calls for you to go to bombings?

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2004-03-11 11:28am

Rogue 9 wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but what is it you do that calls for you to go to bombings?

I'm a reporter, and I happen to speak Spanish.

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2004-03-11 12:01pm

update: 186 dead and rising, more than one thousand wounded, a significant percentage of them would be better off dead. I'm voting for the temporary revival of the Spanish Inquisition, to ensure the responsibles a fair trial prior to execution.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-03-11 12:08pm

In the old days, terrorists would take responsibility for their crimes. Now, the fucking chickenshits just melt away into the scenery. Even Al-Quaeda never actually admitted responsibility for 9/11.

irishmick79 · Post by **irishmick79** » 2004-03-11 12:08pm

Damn. My condolences to the dead and wounded. This is truly awful news....

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-03-11 12:12pm

I'm expecting ETA to come out with this later on once the shock has died down, it's well timed to disrupt the elections going on there which start on Sunday.

Course with this huge atrocity no one is going to back them now. They've just focused an anti-terror world on them even more now and that's not good. With the world's anti-terror agencies growing in size they now have the resources of the Cold War era but without the notable threat of Commies invading us. It's a bad time to try and get your political message across with SEMTEX.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-03-11 12:26pm

almost 200? shit.... ETA's total death toll for the past 30 years was 800 before today! This is a major escalation of hostilities.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-03-11 01:08pm

My deepest condolences.

...

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-03-11 01:13pm

13 exploded at roughly the same time? That organization smacks of something...well funded (duh) and highly planned. Any mention of suicide bombers? I don't think it is middle eastern, unless they find that someone actually blew THEMSELVES up. I was tempted to go with the obvious (Al Qaeda et. al., simply because 9/11 was so well coordinated and it appears so was this. But, as I understand it so far, this may have been a message right before elections. I will see what NPR says about it. That;s My BBC. At any rate, my condolences to all the families of this ridiculous, senseless and cowardly act. for any spaniards on the board, know that this american friend sends his best wishes to you and your country for a speedy recovery and quick aquisition of the slime responsible. Good luck and Godspeed. Death penalty isn't outlawed in spain, is it? and is there a provision for cruel and unusual punishment there?

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-03-11 01:18pm

Nope, the EU prohibits the death penalty.

Murazor · Post by **Murazor** » 2004-03-11 01:24pm

Chardok wrote:13 exploded at roughly the same time? That organization smacks of something...well funded (duh) and highly planned. Any mention of suicide bombers? I don't think it is middle eastern, unless they find that someone actually blew THEMSELVES up. I was tempted to go with the obvious (Al Qaeda et. al., simply because 9/11 was so well coordinated and it appears so was this. But, as I understand it so far, this may have been a message right before elections. I will see what NPR says about it. That;s My BBC. At any rate, my condolences to all the families of this ridiculous, senseless and cowardly act. for any spaniards on the board, know that this american friend sends his best wishes to you and your country for a speedy recovery and quick aquisition of the slime responsible. Good luck and Godspeed. Death penalty isn't outlawed in spain, is it? and is there a provision for cruel and unusual punishment there?

Facts about ETA.
They have tried before multiple strikes in the same place, but not at this level and they had never succeded. In the 99 they planned to bomb the Picasso Tower with a van loaded with 5 tones of explosive but they were stopped before their arrival. This is not beyond they, but the organization has improved. And it is frightening.

They use the "revolutionary tax" (extortion to basque bussinessmen), donings by supporters and kidnap as their primary ways of funding, but they have been a bit short of money recently thanks to the outlawing of Batasuna.

They are few and not the kind that blow themselves up. They like timer bombs and backshoting and its unlikely that they are related to Al Qaeda in any way. I suppose that it is impossible, but it is highly unlikely.

Thanks for the condolences. Again.

Murazor · Post by **Murazor** » 2004-03-11 01:37pm

Joe wrote:Nope, the EU prohibits the death penalty.

And in Spain it would be particularly bad seen. The dictatorship of General Franco lasted almost 40 years and his primary tools to deal with oppositors were propaganda, death penalty and life imprisonment. However, there is some rumour about the possibility of legal modifications to allow full life imprisonment for this kind of terrorist act. And this won't be protested at all.

Post by **Edi** » 2004-03-11 01:49pm

My condolences to the Spanish people. My mother has friends in Madrid, I hope they're okay.

So far the jury's still out on who did it, but I wouldn't rule anybody out. ETA or Al-Qaeda, the fuckers who did this deserve a harsh, painful punishment.

Edi

Sothis · Post by **Sothis** » 2004-03-11 02:49pm

The latest count from the BBC is 190 dead and 1'200 injured

My mum was saying only yesterday that humans are the most vicious species on earth. With events such as this it's hard to think otherwise.

SecondStorm · Post by **SecondStorm** » 2004-03-11 03:05pm

An atrocity has been committed

.

The guilty must be brought to justice and punished.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-03-11 03:12pm

This is why the death penalty is a Good Thing (tm).

SecondStorm · Post by **SecondStorm** » 2004-03-11 03:19pm

Rogue 9 wrote:This is why the death penalty is a Good Thing (tm).

Im against the death penalty and so is Spain as a member of the EU.