A string of explosions took place on Madrid’s railway network at the height of morning rush hour on Thursday killing, according to latest reports, at least 130 people and wounding more than 400.
Three explosions hit separate trains along the southern part of the train network at Santa Eugenia, El Pozo and Atocha stations.
The most deadly blast happened on a train entering Madrid’s main Atocha station, killing 29 people there, the broadcaster quoted Interior Minister Angel Acebes as saying.
Three bombs, planted in plastic bags in the front, middle and rear cars, hit the train, arriving from the eastern Madrid suburb of Alcala de Henares, Spanish radio SER reported.
Spain’s government blamed Basque separatist group ETA. Government spokesman Eduardo Zaplana dubbed it a “criminal gang of killers”.
The attacks came barely three days ahead of the Spanish general election.
Spain’s conservative ruling Popular Party — which has taken a hard-line stance against ETA — is currently leading in the polls ahead of the election.
Basque Member of Parliament Gustavo Aristegui, who was in Madrid at the time of the attack, also blamed ETA. “This is probably Spain’s worst terrorist attack in history — not probably, surely our worst terrorist attack ever,” Aristegui told CNN.
“There are people that are real monsters that are trying to blackmail the whole society through acts of terror.”
Last month, two suspected ETA members were arrested as they headed to Madrid in an explosive-laden truck. Spanish police said they were arrested about 140km outside the city with 500kg of explosives hidden in the vehicle.
And last December, Spanish authorities said they foiled a Basque plot to blow up a train at a Madrid rail station.
Factfile
ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna) is fighting for an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southwestern France.
The group has killed nearly 850 people since 1968, typically using car bombs or shootings. The number of ETA killings had been falling, from 23 in 2000 to three in 2003.
Spain, the United States and the European Union have listed ETA as a terrorist organisation.
In 2002 the Spanish government banned the Basque political party Batasuna, which it described as ETA’s political wing. The party denied the charge. Batasuna won 10 per cent of the vote in Basque parliamentary elections in May 2001.
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March 11, 2004 at 1:10 pm