A car Bomb exploded in one of the residential areas in North Madrid this morning near Bajaras Airport. ETA called it in 35 minutes before it exploded, so the Guardia were able to evacuate most people away from it before it exploded. News reports are saying 10 people had slight injuries from it. The royal family were supposed to be in the area later today to inaugurate an art center. Don't know what these folks philosophy is but they are not winning the hearts and minds of the Spanish people with their terrorist ways.

Oh no. Thanks for the notice, MedicalMan. And thank goodness no one was seriously hurt.

42 have been injured and various cars and buildings have been damaged.

Whatever they seeked with this bombing, what they should do is dissapear forever and leave us alone and in peace.

Fernando

Response to the congress saying NO to Ibarreche plan, I supose.
I hope the police is right now chasing the criminals!

Amen to that,Fernando!

Unfortunately, the ETA will not disappear. The ETA now has concrete proof that acts of terror can change a government's position. When the new government of Spain removed its troops from Iraq in response to the 3-11 bombings, they made a horrible error. If they wanted to withdraw from Iraq, it should never have been in conjuction with any act of terror or any terrorist demand.

I fear that the government's response to the bombings was a huge victory for international terror. It does not matter what you think of Bush or the war in Iraq, terrorists should have no voice in the government.

Very unfortunately, this is an all-too-common misconception about the action/reaction of the Madrid train bombings and pulling Spanish troops from Iraq. Had 3-11 never occurred and Zapatero elected, he still would've pulled the troops because that was his campaign platform since the beginning, 9-months before the train bombings. It's unfortunate the world at large has this misconception because of the timing of the events. Most people outside of Spain didn't know what Zapatero had planned this action long before being elected and is, in part, the reason he WAS elected - because 80+% of Spaniards were against their government's (i.e. Partido Popular's and Aznar's) participation in the Iraq war in the first place.

I'm not sure how many times we'll have to remind people of this as it seems people have closed their minds already. It is unfortunate but something we'll all have to live with.

Oh, and that's all I have to say on this topic, in this thread.

Sadly, MadridMan

You are right MM.

But perhaps it would have been wise to refrain from retiring the troops just after the elections and have waited a year or so.

Terrorists wanted to make a breach in the alliance (US, UK, Spain) and they achieved it. People voted what they wanted yes, but under the influence of a brutal bombing, and what is even worse, the manipulation of the main opposing party (PSOE) and elements of the ruling party (PP) in opposite directions. Our society didn't deserve being exposed to such levels of stress.

Fernando

Fernando

No, Fernando, no. We are talking about the spanish elections, not the US elections. Spanish government ( psoe or pp) has never been influenced by any terrorist group,and we know that. The fight on terror continues on Spain and the police investigation on 3/11 bombing is also well done ( we don't need any soldier to do that).

Has ETA achieved anything with their bombs ? No. For me , ETA is dead despite the last bombs.

And another amen to Fernando's comment -

Has anyone begun to gauge the possible impact of the EU and the 20/2 vote in Spain for ratification of the EU constitution on impacting the strenght and/or weakness of ETA?

I'm guessing that ETA will try to make political noteriety - again - but don't have enough of an understanding of the possible impacts of ratification on ETA demands. About all I know is that ETA is considered and listed as a terrorist organization by the EU as an entity.