March 14, 2004

CNN.com - Terror could sway Spanish poll

Aznar -- who is not standing for re-election as prime minister -- was a strong supporter of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, a stance which some believe has made Spain a target for al Qaeda terrorism.

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Opinion polls show a majority of Spaniards did not support the decision to invade Iraq.

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Political observers are predicting a victory for the ruling conservative Popular Party over the main opposition Socialist Party.

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The Socialists have pledged to withdraw all 1,300 Spanish troops from Iraq should they win office on Sunday.

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a man appearing in a videotape claiming to be a military spokesman for al Qaeda in Europe says the terror group is behind Thursday's 10 coordinated bombings.
He says:
"This is a response to the crimes that you have caused in the world and specifically in Iraq and in Afghanistan. And there will be more, God willing."
Here's a summary of the attack from Neil Boortz:
Unless you have been living under a rock, by now you have heard what happened. 10 backpack bombs exploded within a 15-minute span, starting at about 7:40am yesterday aboard commuter trains. Police also detonated three more bombs. A stolen van was found near Madrid containing seven detonators and an Arabic tape with Koran verses on it. The Spanish government initially pointed the finger at a separatist group, but then a letter was faxed to Reuters by an Al-Qaeda-backed group. They referred to the attack as "operation death trains." The attack occurred 911 days after September 11th. Another letter was faxed to the Associated Press office in Cairo warning that America was next. That's right; Al-Qaeda says America is next.