Just sitting here in my office working and about 5 minutes ago a very loud bomb explosion has shook the room. It seems to have gone off on the Castellanna outside the Real Madrid stadium, Santiago Bernabeu, where Real Madrid are due to play Barcelona in a few hours. No other news as yet

I've just been down there, outside the Caja Madrid skyscraper, lots of smoke, burning cars, but they gave a warning and there fortunately don't seem to be any injuries.

Car Bomb Explodes In Madrid

A car bomb has exploded in an area of Madrid ahead of a showpiece soccer match in the Spanish capital.

Witnesses said a huge explosion was heard close to the city's Bernabeu football stadium, where tens of thousands fans are expected to flock in a few hours.

Reports on state radio said a car bomb had caused the blast.

Smoke

Smoke was seen rising from the area of the stadium, which is the venue for a European Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Rescue services were seen going to the area.

Ten days ago a car bomb blamed on Basque separatist group ETA damaged buildings and cars in the area but caused no serious injuries.





Last Modified: 16:33 UK, Wednesday May 01, 2002

Another bomb has just gone off in Calle Embajadores. No news yet, though I suspect it was the terrorists burning their get away car more than anyhing else.

Apparently, the match is probably off now.

Yes, it seems these "nice" ETA terrorists want to ruin our day again... especially when today more than 80000 people will be in the Bernabeu.
The latest news say the match won't be canceled.

What a shame...

notyor: "...Basque separatist group ETA ..."

ETA is not basque, nor it represent the basques.
ETA is not a separatist group, but a bunch of criminals who are involved in drugs and weapons traffic, extorsion, kidnappings, assasinations,... Calling them a "separatist group" is insulting real separatist and democratic groups like PNV and EA, which pursue independentism by democratic means.
ETA is just a terrorist group. Let's try not to be too politically correct and let's call things but their name: they kill people, real people. This time they have "only" injured 8 people, but they could have done a real massacre.

I know you were just paraphrasing a newspaper or so on (so there is not blame on you), but this is to show something that some people have been vehemently denying: that ETA is still seen as a "group of liberators" instead of a bunch of bloody criminals they are.

Fernando

attached is the CNN Europe link to the boming

http://europe.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/01/spain.madrid/index.html

not saying who was responsible - 3 guesses thou. Nor any deaths reported - five injuries

OH NO!! This is terrible!! Well, ETA will certainly "GET PRESS" more than ever now with it being near where the big game will take place.

Barry, thanks for the to-the-minute, on-the-spot reporting. You are an excellent journalist.

Sadly, MadridMan

Fernando - i just copied & pasted it from a news site.

(you try to help...... )