Simultaneous bomb blasts ripped through packed commuter trains at three stations in Madrid on Thursday, killing 190 people and injuring 1247 in Europe’s bloodiest attack for more than 15 years. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the 10 rush-hour blasts three days before Spain votes in a general election, but Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar’s government blamed the Basque separatist group ETA. Basque Party, banned for refusing to condemn ETA, ‘‘absolutely rejected’’ its hand in the synchronised bomb attacks. Officials brushed aside suggestions Muslim militants angry at Spain’s support for the US-led war in Iraq could have been behind the bombs, which tore people including a baby to shreds, and left pools of blood on wrecked trains, tracks and buildings. President George W. Bush condemned the bombings and said the US stood with its Iraq war ally in the fight against terrorist organisations like the ETA. Bush said he called PM Aznar, and the country’s king to express his country’s deepest sympathies. US intelligence agencies said it was too early to decide who was behind the attack, but saw the hallmarks of both ETA and Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda. ‘‘There are characteristics of each. You have multiple attacks, multiple explosions in different locations in a short period of time which is very Al Qaeda-ish,’’ said one US official, who declined to be identified. In October, two audio tapes purportedly from Laden said the Al Qaeda had the ‘‘right to respond at any suitable time and place’’ against those countries with forces in Iraq. Spain was among the countries listed. Passenger Ana Maria Mayor’s voice cracked as she said: ‘‘I saw a baby torn to bits.’’ The other blasts occurred at El Pozo station in southern Madrid and at Santa Eugenia in the southeast of the capital. Aznar called on Spaniards to take to the streets on Friday in protest at the attack, and vowed the government would punish those responsible for the attack. ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) has killed around 850 people since 1968 in its fight for a separate Basque homeland in northwest Spain and southwest France, and has been branded a terrorist group by the US and the EU.Late last month, police arrested two suspected ETA members heading for Madrid with a van containing 500 kg of explosives, averting a possible attack. If the Basque group was responsible for Thursday’s bombings, it would be its deadliest attack, far exceeding the 21 people it killed in a supermarket blast in Barcelona in 1987. It was the biggest death toll in an attack in Europe since December 1988, when a Pan American World Airways Boeing 747 crashed on the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 aboard after a bomb on the plane exploded. Eleven people in the town were also killed. The Spanish government convened an emergency Cabinet meeting and the ruling Popular Party suspended its election campaign, which had focused on a tougher stance against ETA. European stock markets fell sharply on fears that the attack was the work of Islamic extremists, while bond markets rallied as investors pushed their cash into safe havens. ETA has frequently warned in advance of its attacks. Last month ETA declared a ceasefire limited to the northeastern region of Catalonia. —(Reuters)
