6 Moroccans behind Madrid attacks

Spanish police believe they have identified six Moroccans who carried out the train blasts which killed 200 people in Madrid last week, news...

Spanish police believe they have identified six Moroccans who carried out the train blasts which killed 200 people in Madrid last week, newspaper El Pais said on Tuesday, citing security sources.

One of those identified, who has already been arrested, was recognised by two survivors of the blast who said they saw him before the explosions took place.

El Pais said the suspect, Jamal Zougam, had connections with some of those arrested for last May8217;s bombings in Casablanca which killed 45 people, including 12 suicide bombers.

Interior Ministry officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Police sources told El Pais they believed the six Moroccans may have formed only part of the group which carried out Thursday8217;s attacks and they suspected militants from other nationalities were involved. Two Indians have been held in connection with the attack.

Moroccan officials have challenged theories of any direct link between the Madrid bombers and radical Islamists who staged the Casablanca attack. On Monday, Spain backed down on in its assertion that only the Basque separatist group ETA was responsible for the Madrid train bombings and told the United Nations it was investigating foreign nationals.

Despite misgivings, the 15-member council adopted an unusual resolution just hours after the attack on Thursday that identified ETA as the perpetrator of the bombings

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Spain8217;s UN ambassador, Inocencio Arias, said in a letter to the council that his government acted in good faith when it told members that ETA was responsible for the bombings.

8216;8216;Since then they have found, through the efforts of the state security agencies, new elements which have led us to open other lines of inquiry that point to the involvement of citizens of other countries in the attacks,8217;8217; Arias said.

8216;8216;It is not possible for the moment to reach definitive conclusions. The government of Spain will inform the council of the results of its investigations,8217;8217; he said in the letter. Envoys said they considered the Spanish letter the equivalent of a careful diplomatic apology. Rescinding a resolution is nearly impossible.