This article contains some more details... Its messy. The US refutes a claim by Spain that the sort of explosives used are similar to ones the ETA has used in the past, arguing that the ETA hasn't used those explosives in years, and they are widely available. However, they also claim that the organization which claimed responsibility has claimed responsibility in the past for things they were clearly not involved with, such as the power outage in the north east last summer. This raises doubts about their threat on the US. I've also read that the van is a little suspicious because the tape found in it is an educational tape, something under the head of a devout muslim. It could be an attempt at indirection. Also, Al Q usually doesn't declare responsibility for attacks so soon after they have occurred.

The fact that this UK group is nutzo and declares responsibility for all kinds of things does not mean Al Q is not responsible. Stratfor mentions another Al Q claim on the jihadunspun website, which since appears to have had its virtual host removed. (Good riddance to bad rubbage!)

If it does turn out this was the ETA it is a very dramatic change in their tactics, and really opens a new era of terrorism tactics.

Bombing Clues Point To Islamist Terrorists (washingtonpost.com)

Check out the picture at the top left. This guy is an independent who managed to get elected despite being opposed by both liberal and conservative media in the country. He is very much a product of the internet. He is a Howard Dean who made it. The traditional sources of power in South Korea are nailing this guys ass to the wall because he is an outsider. Of course, he is not without fault. He would have avoided impeachment if he had agreed to apologize over some technical elections issue. He refuse to do so, and so they booted him. Of course, its entirely possible that the call for an apology was literally an attempt to put him in a catch 22 situation where if he agreed to apologize he would be admitting wrongdoing and would be subsequently impeached anyway.

All in all, you can chalk this up next to Dean's implosion as a failure of the new media to challenge the present world order.

President of South Korea impeached

] "I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I
] don't need to explain why I say things. That's the
] interesting thing about being the President. Maybe
] somebody needs to explain to me why they say something,
] but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
]
] - George W. Bush, Washington Post, 11-19-02

Some of these quotes provide incite into the speaker. Some are not suprising. Some, when put back in context, don't mean what you are lead to think they mean. A few are less questionable then the others. They are all entertaining.

t r u t h o u t - William Rivers Pitt | Fish. Barrel. Boom.

] "We bring the good news to Muslims of the world that the
] expected 'Winds of Black Death' strike against America is
] now in its final stage ... 90 percent (ready) and God
] willing near," the letter said.
]
] The letter, signed by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades that
] said it was part of al-Qaida, was sent to the
] London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. A copy of the
] letter was faxed to Reuters in Dubai.

BTW, the same guys that just claimed responsiblity for bombing Spain issued a threat to the U.S. today. (Both claims are starting to look questionable. This group also claimed responsibility for the power outage in the North East last summer.)

Purported al-Qaida letter says strike on U.S. near

] The Arabic newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi said Thursday it
] had received a claim of responsibility for the Madrid
] train bombings issued in the name of al Qaeda.
]
] The five-page e-mail claim, signed by the shadowy Brigade
] of Abu Hafs al-Masri, was received at the paper's London
] offices. It said the brigade's "death squad" had
] penetrated "one of the pillars of the crusade alliance,
] Spain."
]
] "This is part of settling old accounts with Spain, the
] crusader, and America's ally in its war against Islam,"
] the claim said.

Al Q claims responsiblity (meanwhile the UN is busy condeming ETA for the bombings)

] Spain's interior minister said a suspect van had been
] found on Thursday near Madrid, scene of bombings that
] killed 190 people, containing seven detonators and a tape
] in Arabic language.
]
] Interior Minister Angel Acebes said the tape had
] recordings of verses from the Koran.

It will be difficult for the conspiracy theorists to claim that Spain "allowed this to happen" as the government fingered the wrong suspects in the outset. (U2: Or maybe not, but read below.) This is the first successful Al Q' move in Europe. It may create some renewal of Al Q' as they've been failing operationally on a frequent basis in the past months, but that is not the goal here.

What Al'Q wants is for Spaniards to be angry at their government for supporting the war in Iraq, and to beleive that their government exposed them to terrorism by supporting the United States. Their goal is to reduce the support that various governments in Europe have for the United States by making people afraid that supporting the U.S., even if they agree with the U.S., will expose them to these risks.

It could end up backfiring on them if it drives home the overall concept that Europeans are at risk from Al'Q regardless of whether or not they support the United States, and thereby galvanizes support for more extensive anti-terror efforts rather then diminishing support.

It will be interesting to see how Europe reacts. I hope they do not succumb to fear.

U: The fact that Spain got the UN to blame ETA at this stage is a little perplexing. Looking at the information it seems clear to me that this not ETA. At the very least the UN ought to be more cautious here lest they look like fools. If you're looking for a conspiracy theory, here is one: Spain is focusing on the ETA in order to confuse the emotional message sent by the terror attacks in the early days as the shock sets in. If they went to the public and said "Al Q attacked us and they did it for XYZ reason" they would be underlining the attacks with the explanation. By muddying the issue as much as possible Al Q is less likely to get their point across.

U2: I've revisited this theory a bit. The fact is that the Spanish government doesn't like ETA and wants to go after ETA. By misdirecting energy at ETA they build support for more extreme crackdowns on ETA. That is almost certainly their motive in this. In effect they are replacing Al Q's message with one they find more suitable to their interests. As for the inevitable claim that they allowed this to occur so that they could target ETA, the fact is that the international community will cease to be confused about this matter on short order, and allowing Al Q this victory is far more damaging to them vis-a-vis their already unpopular support for the war in Iraq to be worth the slight advantage this offers them against the already marginalized and weak ETA organization. So no, there is no way that the government of Spain was complicit in this. Its simply not in their best interest.

It wasn't ETA, it was AL'Q

] French and German intelligence officers who spoke to
] United Press International on condition their names not
] be revealed say, "the Madrid attacks are far too
] sophisticated to be the work of ETA. There was too much
] logistics involved for this to be the work of ETA."

United Press International: Madrid bombings carry al-Qaida hallmark

] Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna, translated from Euskara, the
] Basque language, means "freedom for the Basque country."

A Primer on the ETA (washingtonpost.com)

From CNN: A series of co-ordinated bomb attacks on Madrid's commuter train system killed at least 186 people and wounded over 1,000 at the height of the city's rush hour. Spanish officials are blaming terrorists from the Basque separatist group ETA for the attack, but so far, there has been no claim of responsibility.

This image comes from a spanish website called El Pais. People seem to be posting it around as a sign of solidarity with the victims.

Major terrorist attack in Spain

] Called the Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton, or
] BLEEX, it is part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects
] Agency venture designed to help foot soldiers carry
] heavier loads over even longer distances, by connecting
] robotic supports to their legs to reduce the load.

New Scientist - Exoskeleton