On March 11, 2004, bombs exploded in three of Madrid, Spain’s busy train stations. 191 people were killed and at least 1,800 were injured.
Spanish marchers say "No to Terrorism" and "No to War" the day after one of the worst terrorist incidents in European history, the Madrid Train Bombings.
Photograph by Kippelboy, courtesy Wikimedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
On March 11, 2004, a coordinated series of bombs detonated in three train stations in Madrid, Spain. The explosions killed 191 people and injured at least 1,800 more. The Madrid Train Bombings are some of the most deadly terrorist incidents in Europe.
The tragedy, occurring just three days before national elections, set off an intensely political debate in Spain. The Partido Popular, the party in power, initially blamed the ETA, a separatist group that seeks independence for Basque country, a region in northeastern Spain. Many countries, including Spain and the United States, consider the ETA a terrorist organization. The Partido Popular lost power in the elections.
Ultimately, Moroccan affiliates of al-Qaida were linked to the Madrid Train Bombings. A letter claiming to be from al-Qaida claimed responsibility, although the dozens of people charged in the attacks are only vaguely connected to the organization. Years later, men convicted of transporting explosives to Spain and planting the bombs on the trains were sentenced to 43,000 years in prison.
loosely knit, radical Sunni Muslim terrorist group seeking to eliminate non-Muslim influence and establish shariah law.
to work together or organize for a specific goal.
to argue or disagree in a formal setting.
ETA Noun (Euskadi ta Askatasuna, "Basque Homeland and Freedom") terrorist Basque separatist organization.
material that can quickly and violently expand due to a chemical change.
being accountable and reliable for an action or situation.
having to do with the use of non-military violence and/or threats of violence to achieve or advocate political change.