CNN TV Breaking: 5 Arabs detained in Spain

[Renew Deal]

Linked to phone cards in back packs.

[Sticky]

Yahoo too...

Spain to Announce Muslim Arrests Over Bombs-Report
7 minutes ago

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Interior Minister Angel Acebes is set to announce the arrest of at least four Muslims in connection with a series of deadly bombings in Madrid, the web site of newspaper El Mundo said on Saturday

The Interior Ministry had no immediate comment on the report. Acebes has called a news conference for about 2 p.m. EST.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=1&u=/nm/20040313/ts_nm/spain_explosions_dc

[TruthIsAll]

80. Got them quick, huh? Just in time for the elections...Black Op n/t

.

[fedsron2us]

84. Yep. They have already been labeled "Muslim extremists"

on this thread although so far all we really know is that three of them are Moroccans who the Spanish authorities have described as having criminal records. This latter fact makes me think they might be involved in the racket of stealing mobile phones and replacing the SIM cards. This is a very common and very lucrative crime in Europe. Whoever carried out the attacks in Madrid was hardly likely to use their own telephone. Nor would they have gone to the risk and expense of stealing and cloning the equipment themselves. They would have probably have purchased hot mobiles on the black market.

The unhappy experience here in the UK with the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six has made me very wary of quick arrests after terror attacks. They rarely turn out to be the perpetrators of the crime

[Sticky]

Oops... n/t

[Sticky]

1. MSNBC front page breaking....

Five people arrested over Madrid bombings, Spain announces

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Sky tv UK says will damage Aznar's party in election...

because he involved Spain in Iraq war, making country a target for AlQuada attacks.

[stldemocrat]

18. Unfortunately...

the media is now going to link Iraq and al Qaeda with this...

[Chicago Democrat]

62. Of course Bush's invasion caused this!

Spain was our first ally in our stupid coalition of the imbeciles. They stirred up the hornets nest from Indonesia to Morroco and the Iraq invasion has made it only worse.

Take heart, be not afraid. Our man Kerry will maintain his lead no matter what Al Quaeda does. Even if they attack here, Bush is a goner.

[0rganism]

64. And well they should

Once Saddam was ousted, the way was paved for the religious extremists to get involved in Iraq like they couldn't while the Ba'ath party called the shots. Now Al Qaeda is a real problem in Iraq. So much for "unintended consequences".

[Melinda]

3. MSRNC reporting 3 are Moroccans

[Florida_Geek]

4. This is strange from the BBC

"They included three Moroccans and two Spaniards of "Hindu origin",

[Melinda]

6. Hindu? WTF?

If true, this is one BIZZARE marriage. Can anyone make sense of this? :eyes:

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. BBC has now removed "Hindu" from their report

screw up on their part, or something lost in translation?

[mobuto]

9. Probably meant Indian

Of course not everybody in India is "Hindu" (which is in itself a misnomer, as Hinduism denotes any one of several largely distinct religions) - you have millions of Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, Jainists, a few Budhists, and about 150 million Muslims.

[Melinda]

11. CNN just said "2 Hindu's of Spanish origin".

:shrug:

*edited to update last heard

[varun]

12. Many Spanish speakers...

...equate anyone from the Indian subcontinent to "Hindu".

13% of India's population is Muslim, and it is possible that they arrested an Indian Muslim.

[EX-CONservative]

36. Pakistani?

They could be Pakistani as well. Pakistan was part of India and is considered by some (most?) geographers as part of the Indian subcontinent.

[varun]

79. Most likely they are...

...Indian Muslims.

To many Spaniards, anyone from India / Pakistan / Bangladesh is a "Hindu" whether they re muslims/christians or buddhists.

[Lost in GA]

93. I object.

Don't blame Indian Muslims, or blame anyone till the truth is known(Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or otherwise). Rumors make more trouble between religions than truth does.
Remember, Indian Hindus killed Mahatma Gandhi, Tamil Hindus killed Rajeev Gandhi, and Indian Sikhs killed Indira Gandhi.

[varun]

95. I agree...

...it is too early to blame someone.

The truth will come out - sooner or later.

[AP]

52. Yes, India's experiencing its own sort of facism right now.

The Hindus would love to have muslims blamed for everything wrong in the world.

It's very possible that some of the kidnappings in Kashmir and the attack on the Indian parliament in New Delhi were carried out by Hindus in a false flag operation to stir up anti-Muslim sentiment.

[Lost in GA]

54. Sure, and the day the wackos bombed the WTC, all Jews stayed home, right?

Former ISI chief General Javed Ashraf Qazi has blamed the banned militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad, for the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001 and the recent suicide attacks on President Pervez Musharraf. "We must not be afraid of admitting that Jaish was involved in the deaths of thousands of innocent Kashmiris, bombing the Indian Parliament, (journalist) Daniel Pearl's murder and attempts on President Musharraf's life," Qazi said participating in a debate in the senate on Musharraf's address to the joint sitting of Parliament.

[AP]

66. Maybe that was the public relations deal to deescalate tensions...

The fact is, the people who run India today are borderline fascists with a religious agenda, and if the BBC is reporting that hindus were arrested and then scrubbed it later because it doesn't conform to the way the media is trying to sell the truth, then we should all be thinking about possiblilities like the one I've proposed.

[Lost in GA]

69. What's your agenda? An apologist for military, Islamic dictatorships?

Read, and be at peace: Pakistan is the single greatest threat to the world today (The man in the middle   Saturday, March 13 2004 @ 12:04 PM CST http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2498772) rogue nation, nuclear proliferator (U.S. Widens View of Pakistan Link to Korean Arms, New York Times, Saturday, March 13 2004 @ 11:19 PM CST
David E. Sanger), Islamic jihadist (Jihad, not a choice of socio-economic order .Saturday, March 13 2004 @ 12:14 PM CST Mohammad Shehzad, Kashmir Images) and kalashnikov culture, drug lords, corruption, illiteracy, sectarian violence, institutionalized violence towards minorities, Shia muslims, women, Mohajirs, and when they have no-one else to kill, they just start shooting each other.
Oh, and did I mention asslickers of the Islamic world? Despised by every Islamic country, they are desperate to prove their relevance and justify their pathetic existence.
A real insight? Recently 5 Pakistani immigrants in Australia raped and brutalized 2 teenage Aussie girls. WHen they were convicted, they claimed it was an anti-Moslem conspiracy...that makes me puke! Their father, an MD, asked for the judge to forgive them, saying it was a cultural difference...WTF!!! IS IT CULTURALLY ACCEPTED TO RAPE WOMEN IN PAKISTAN?

[Lost in GA]

71. Pakistani gang rapists told age, culture no defence

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/01/1078117369680.html

[Character Assassin]

72. Brother, don't waste your time.

[Lost in GA]

73. have to try..my wife is Kashmiri; despises the wingnut beards of Pak

They have totally destroyed the Kashmiri culture with their goddamn fanatic Deobandism/Wahaabi excuse for Islam. No women are safe there because they throw acid on girls faces if they aren't in Purdah! In Kashmir, where Sufiism is practised by peaceloving people, they are forcing extreme, foreign views of Islam on the people. My wife's family voted with their feet, and moved to India and the West, where they are safe from the goddamn sadistic Islamists from Pakistan.
They've ruined their own country despite all of Jinnah's dreams and efforts, now they want to drag Kashmir into their mess...educated people around the world need to see through Pakistan's self-serving plans.
Hindu does not mean Indian, and vice versa, just as Muslim doesn't mean Pakistani. We believe most Pakistani's are NOT true Muslims, they are fanatics and murderers who sully the name of Islam. The only actual Hindu country is Nepal. The Indian subcontinent is a geographical area which has nothing to do with national boundaries or religion, just like the Indian Ocean doesn't mean India's ocean, nor does Bangladesh own the Bay of Bengal.
Anyway, everyone in that whole area needs to concentrate on improving their education and socio-economic condition, and thats not going to happen as long as the beards are running Pakistan.

[AP]

77. Well, at least we know your biases.

Only your side has a legitimate argument, I guess.

[Lost in GA]

87. Damn right. Pakistan is not the voice of Indian Muslims or of Kashmiris.

Maybe they should just try getting jobs instead of running around screaming 'Kill the Infidels!' . But, I guess that would be too much to ask. Peace be upon you, brother.

[AP]

78. Do you have anything to add to this?

[AP]

76. Man, you seem to have an axe to grind.

What in the world does the actions of 5 criminals in Australia have to do with geopolitics on the subcontinent?

[Lost in GA]

88. AP, let me help you here..

The defense the Pakistani men offered is that they only raped the Aussie teenagers because they didn't know it was against the law to do that in Australia. Their dad is a rich doctor, and these boys have benefitted from the best education Pakistan has to offer. They use their culture as their defense, I am using it as an example of what Pakistan has offered the people of the subcontinent.
I for one am glad my family did not go to Pakistan during the Partition. I have Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Parsi relatives in my family today, and am a proud product of that mixture. While I recognize that India is struggling against powers of anti-secularism on all fronts, they are an economic and cultural powerhouse, and a secular democracy. There is no way anyone (even someone as motivated as you seem to be) can lump them together with the jihadi, madarrsa bred citizens of the military dictatorship of Pakistan.
I think Indians want only peace and prosperity in Pakistan, we have family there and share common blood and histories. I also think most Indian Muslims and Kashmiris want Pakistan to leave us in India alone. Our peope are well represented by rich, educated, succesful Indian Muslims in every field and walk of life. Maybe, just maybe, our Pakistani brothers and sisters could try and see how we live and succeed, instead of following the hate-filled path of their Mullahs.

[mallard]

86. Re: they either showd up or they didn't

Does your rhetorical question provide any more clues as to what really happened or is it just meant to 'lock the gate' by suggesting such evidence has already been convincingly refuted (as opposed to connivingly denied)?

Would you like the full truth to come to public light, or not?

They either showed up for work that morning or they didn't.

Nevermind Odigo!

[varun]

61. so maybe the Spaniards...

...did this to themselves too :eyes:

[AP]

67. This is definitely a part of a powerplay between two VERY powerful

interests who don't care about a lost lives in their struggle for profits and regional domination.

[Lost in GA]

70. The real rogue is a fanatical Pakistan. Bernard Levy,The Economist,

Does Gen. Musharraf think that he can get away as a double-crosser without being detected? Bernard Henri Levy, France's best-selling author, thinks to the contrary. He warns the US government in darkest terms: ?Pakistan supposedly President Bush?s brave ally in fighting terrorism is playing a ?double, even triple game? and could even have helped plot the September 11 attacks. What a mistake to be obsessed with Iraq when the real rogue is a fanatical and nuclear-armed Pakistan? (The Economist, May 24, 2003).
Tarique Niazi
South Asia Tribune

"There is no export that Pakistan has except for textiles and terrorists that has a global market." (LA Times, June 25, 2003)
Stephen Cohen
Brookings Institution

"Mr. Cheney lumped terrorists and tyrants into one interchangeable mass, saying that Mr. Bush could not tolerate a dictator who had access to weapons of mass destruction, was allied with terrorists and was a threat to his neighbors. Sounds a lot like the military dictator of Pakistan, not to mention the governments of China and North Korea."
Maureen Dowd
New York Times

"...two-thirds of the organizations designated as having a terrorist link by the United States and the United Nations have a connection in Pakistan, according to the Treasury Department..."
Carlotta Gall
New York Times

"It's true the Pakistanis have helped us to capture some of the leading al-Qaeda figures, but you also have to wonder: Why do we find them all in Pakistan?"
Professor Jessica Stern, Harvard
New York Times

"The most dangerous place of all is Pakistan, because Pakistan, one day it has already the nuclear arsenal. At least half the army are Islamists and they will overthrow (President) Musharraf one day, and they will then have the atomic bombs at their disposal. And then …the first thing they will do, they will give some to Bin Laden because these tribal people are friends of Bin Laden."
Omar Sharif
Austalian Broadcasting Corporation

[AP]

75. Not sure I trust the neoliberal times and economist on this issue.

[Lost in GA]

89. You ignored the Kashmir Times quote..not used to a free press?

Its given a voice to many of the Kashmiri people's aspirations, but that's one voice you definitely will ignore. Seriously, if you are a friend of Pakistan, why don't you work to help them get an education and something worth living for other than to spill the blood of innocent women and children?

[Lost in GA]

90. The article is by Tarique Niazi, a progressive Pakistani Muslim

in the South Asia Tribune, out of England. Of course, it may be part of a big plot...a Western Country, a Jewish Scholar, a heretical educated Moslem or two with infidel blood, and those damn Kashmiri Sufi's who should know better than to protest while they are being 'saved'.

[Lost in GA]

92. "The most dangerous place of all is Pakistan" Omar Sharif

"The most dangerous place of all is Pakistan, because Pakistan, one day it has already the nuclear arsenal. At least half the army are Islamists and they will overthrow (President) Musharraf one day, and they will then have the atomic bombs at their disposal. And then …the first thing they will do, they will give some to Bin Laden because these tribal people are friends of Bin Laden."
Omar Sharif
Austalian Broadcasting Corporation  

And in case you don't know anything about Kashmir other than what you hear about on Jihadi Times, Omar is the grandson of the Lion of Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah...now ask me who that was!

[Lost in GA]

94. There is hope..friendship and peace: Imran Khan, PAKISTAN's Superstar

Karachi
Sunday March 14, 2004
The Observer
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cricket/theobserver/story/0,10541,1169187,00.html

I've never seen an Indian-Pakistan game with an atmosphere like this. There's such a feeling of friendship,' marvelled Imran Khan, Pakistan's greatest all-rounder and now a member of parliament. 'It's as if we're saying, "War is no longer an option - we need something new".
The antagonism between the two nuclear rivals is not yet over. But, after an astounding, record-breaking game of cricket in Karachi yesterday, the opening day of India's first full tour of Pakistan in nearly 15 years, the signs look better than at perhaps any time in nearly four decades.
There were no casualties. There was none of the mob violence or murder that have haunted previous encounters. Instead there was something new: Pakistani fans draped in the Indian flag; Indian fans celebrating among them, in the heartland of Pakistani extremism.

[mallard]

85. Re: make of this

It may be they're just five people thought to have sold hot phones used in the bombings. The usual suspects, hardly - but not exactly al Qaeda either.

There seem to be strong efforts apace to put an Arab face on the crime and indeed tie it to Spanish support for the Iraq Invasion.

At the top, it's the paymasters' doing. No doubt a range of players were involved and getting paid to participate. The ETA may just be clients this time.

Someone's rotting in Deutch Mark.

[bemildred]

10. Morrocan connection:

Scroll down a bit. The original story was
linked in the first LBN thread on the bombing.
Perhaps it even helped them catch the perps.

Lions Of Al-Mufridoon Claim Madrid Bombing

In Europe?s worst terror attack and the bloodiest attack ever on Spanish soil, a well coordinated and executed
series of bomb explosions hit commuter trains in the capital of Madrid as the morning rush hour was in
process. On the eve of Spain?s general election, over 173 people have been killed and hundred more
wounded, with estimates of the wounded expected to escalate near the 1000 mark.

A total of 13 bombs sent pieces of the trains flying through the air at nearby houses and left gapping holes
and crumbled metal entwined with human body parts. As rescue workers arrived on the scene, many of the
seriously wounded were treated where they lay.

JUS has learned the Lions of al-Mufridoon has claimed of responsibility for the attack. Previously unknown,
the group is said to be made up of Morrocan, Algerian, and Tunisian operatives, with suspected links to
Al-Qaida.

Spain has been warned of their involvement with the "Crusader" army of George Bush and Tony Blair in
previous Al-Qaida statements and more recently in both the last statements issued by Osama bin Laden and
Dr. Aymen Al-Zawhari, which followed the attack on the Spanish embassy in Iraq.

jihadunspun

[BabsSong]

5. This could blow up in Bush's face

I started a post in GD about this-----if the people go nutso on their government for being allies of us in this Iraq war that they so opposed and protested and thus, bringing this terrorism upon them, this could spread to a lot of other countries who demand their government get the hell away from us NOW before they get attacked. That highlights what Kerry and the Dems have been saying: he's made the world much less safe by his bogus war. This could be real bad for the Bush boy if it gets rolling and real great for the point the Dems have been trying to make about just running around attacking countries for no damn reason at all in the middle east!!!

[54anickel]

8. Explains why Bushco was pushing to blame ETA. I wondered about

that yesterday in another thread. Thought they would be all over blaming Al Qaeda like white on rice. Found it confusing. Now it makes sense. If it's Al Qaeda it's directly due to his friggen arrogance and threatens all that aligned with him on this unholy, illegal war.

[varun]

16. that's what I noticed too...

...that the Spanish authorities were so insistent on ETA...I was wondering why.

I think the Al-Qaeda connection will hurt Bush / Aznar.

It shows that despite all the chest-thumping of 3/4 Al Qaeda being captured/killed, the danger still persists.

And Iraq was the WRONG target.

[EX-CONservative]

39. ETA and Al Qaeda

ETA attack = Aznar victory

Al Qaeda = Aznar loss and egg on Bush's face.

[Must_B_Free]

47. Fox is pushing the AlQueda connection

so if they are pro Bush why is it being floated that an AQ connection hurts Bush?

[July]

57. Al Qaeda connection means Iraq war support hurt Spain

Aznar has been cracking down on ETA, so ETA attack helps him look tough. Al Q. attack makes him look like his support of Bush, against the will of 90% of Spanish people, has killed numerous Spaniards.

[Just Me]

44. I agree with your assessment, and note,...

,...that, when I perused the major media,...there was a "new and improved" conspiracy being proferred that Eta was working in conjunction with al Qaeda.

Anyone who is attacked as being a "conspiracy theorist" should be feeling more normal by our major media networks now tying together such unsubstantiated and broad possibilities *LOL*.

:bounce:

[stldemocrat]

21. Iraq/al Qaeda

I am sure they will use this to say this proves a link between Iraq/al Qaeda.

[54anickel]

34. But isn't there now? Didn't Iraq become a magnet for all sorts of

terrorists after Shrub "illegally invaded"? Wasn't that magnetism also predicted before the war?

It doesn't help to prove a link between alQaeda/Iraq for 9-11 and before the invasion. But I think it's safe to say there's a link now.

[stldemocrat]

38. I agree with you.

But I was fighting with my boyfriend about this last night. He kept going on about how if they weren't allied, then how come alQaeda is attacking our "allies" who helped us illegally invade (he didn't put it that way, I do though) Iraq. I obviously don't agree with him, but I bet that is the line some repukes take. I am just afraid this will strengthen those who want to extend this "war on terror".

[bushwakker]

22. I think the opposite

I'm already hearing the RW saying that this will "wake up Europe" to the threat the same way 9/11 woke us up. To them this will prove that Bush was right in being "vigilent" against the "tairists". Will any of it make sense - no. I think that Rove and Co are very happy about this. I guarantee AWOL will be talking about this tragedy very soon - trying to use it to his advantage and paint JK as soft on terrorism.

[stldemocrat]

23. bingo

[Melinda]

26. I vehemently disagree

Almost all this country's resources have been marshalled the last 2 and 1/2 years against Irag - and not Al Qaeda. And none of us are "safer" now.

The EU is long acquainted with terrorism, it was the US that wasn't; the Bush* "War on terrorism" is FUBAR.

[stldemocrat]

41. I think...

that we were talking about the politics of it. I agree that we have wasted lives and money in Iraq. The issue I think is that this attack in Spain makes it appear that there is a connection between Iraq/alQaeda to simplistic types. I think that we understand that there are a lot mot subtle motivations at play. You can disagree, don't have to vehemently, though. :)

[catzies]

49. Heh, the "simplistic types"

are the GOP base. :)

[stldemocrat]

50. Indubitably

[bushwakker]

60. I already heard one GOP ex mil type on Fox say

that this proves an Iraq-Al-Queda connection. It was an absurd statement but this is what they will say.

[bushwakker]

59. That is an argument Kerry will have to make tomorrow

You're reasoning is correct but faced with unspeakable acts of violence most Americans put reason aside and go with the best sounding solutions or arguments. Kerry will have to forcefully say that we are wasting resources embroiled in a war against a country that posed no threat to us when we should be breaking up Al Queda activities instead. This argument will have to made forcefully, unequivocably and he will have to start saying it tomorrow.

[Just Me]

45. I think you completely underestimate people's common sense. *eom*

[stldemocrat]

46. I have no clue...

About how all this will play out. I hope people will see the truth, but sometimes that doesn't happen. It would help if our candidate did not vote for IWR. I just hope he picks someone like Dean for VP, who can hammer Bush* on this issue.

[K8-EEE]

40. They Were ABSOLUTELY Pushing ETA For Political Gain

And it backfired....LYING LIARS!! SIN VERGUENZAS!

[CerealMurderer]

55. What does the Iraq war have to do with this bombing?

If AQ did the bombing then why would Iraq have anything to do with it?

As we ALL know there is NO connection between Iraq and AQ. Right?

[jpak]

13. If they are Al Queda and if they received training/$/support from OBL

then Bush has some splainin' to do.

After OBL escaped from the botched seige of Tora Bora, the name Osama Bin Laden disappeared from ChimpCo's vocabulary.

Bush claimed he didn't know where OBL was - and he didn't care.

If Bush was truely serious about the War on Terra, OBL would have been captured or killed in 2001.

The fact that OBL is still at large and actively plotting against the West is glaring evidence of Bush's failure as a "War President".

[July]

58. I believe the thinking is that Bush ratcheted up the

war on Islamic countries ("Crusade"). Spain has a particularly relevant history in conquering the Moors.

[TahitiNut]

14. Since when are Moroccans and Indians considered "Arabs"???

Sheesh! Talk about ethnic bigotry polluting virtually every medium!

[mobuto]

15. In Spain, they're all

"Los Moros."

[NV1962]

53. Either that, or gitanos, guiris, gabachos, or gringos

Right?

In fact, indio has the same problem of confusion that "Indian" has in English language, so that's why the use of hindú is quite common in reference to people of India. Think that's strange? It also applies, for example, to the fairly commonly used reference to people from Israel: hebreo which actually identifies the language...

But moro has a distinct pejorative ring, and few use that - racist scum aside. It's as charged as the n-word in English; certainly now with the huge influx of immigrants from Morocco over the past 10 years. (Oh, and if you wonder: the word for Moor(ish) used is morisco rather.)

As to the Spaniards of Indian origin: apparently, they are somehow tied to the sale / provision of the prepay cell phone that was found in the (intact) bomb.

[ithacan]

17. well, most Moroccans do speak arabic...

[mobuto]

19. Morocco is also a member of the Arab League

There are lots of Arabs in Morocco. There are also lots of Berbers, and even more people of mixed heritage, but referring to Moroccans as "Arabs" isn't necessarily wrong. Indians? Well, that's another story.

[TahitiNut]

24. I see. So, we're all Englishmen here.

Uh-huh. Makes sense. :crazy:

[Renew Deal]

27. That came from CNN

I posted as I saw it.

[TahitiNut]

31. Yup. Saw it. Never said otherwise.

:shrug:

[tjwash]

20. So, after spain...

...got bombed, they found what appeared to be the perpetrators rather quickly.

After the WTC got bombed, and after W* came out of hiding, and after he started to dismantle the constitution, and he started attempting to scrap individual rights, and after he bombed the wrong country that had nothing to do with the WTC bombings, and after he gave even more money and support to the countries that the terrorists came from, and after he used the victims for his own political gain, and after he....

Well I guess the point is he ain't EVER gonna get-em. I hope this blows up in his face

[Flagg]

25. I fear a backlash against the Arab community in Spain

[monobrau]

28. That's conveeenient....

This whole think really stinks. I think the conservative element is Spain is pulling some shit. And it may very well be a preview of our upcoming election season.

[Kellanved]

33. actually it's not

From my perspective ETA would have been convenient - now there are demonstrators in front of Aznar's party HQ, asking for answers.

The Spanish government proclaimed ETA the culprit within hours of the attacks, even ordered all envoys to echo the message.
Without Aznar's pet project, the participation in the Iraq war, el-kaida terrorists would not even know that Spain exists. Should this indeed turn out be an act by islamist terrorists, the popular party would have much to answer for.

Anyway, should this lead to an end to ETA, it would leave Europe a better place. For now I can only express my sympathies to the victim's families.

[leesa]

29. Arabs! Arabs!! Let's bomb Afghanistan...or Iraq...or Syria...or Iran!!

[stldemocrat]

43. Persian

Iranians are Persian....:)

Not that Bushco would know the difference...

[Mr_Lefty]

30. Why didn't they attack Iraq?

Everyone knows that's what they need to do. This war is not a police action- you can't just arrest the people responsible, you must attack an unrelated country.

[tkmorris]

32. I'd bomb Belize

No particular reason, just because. :evilgrin:

[TahitiNut]

51. No... the diving is too good there.

Second largest barrier reef in the world and eco-tourism -- no, it's a good R&R center for the invasion of Latin America, though. :crazy:

[stanwyck]

65. Wait to bomb

until I've had the chance to dive there. Still haven't made it there. Please wait. Although I've heard Belize has an incredible supply of WMD.

[EX-CONservative]

Shades of Richard Jewell?

Arresting them on what appears, on the surface, to be flimsy evidence might be done to give the public their proverbial whipping boy.

This reeks of Richard Jewell...

[EX-CONservative]

35. Shades of Richard Jewell?

Arresting them on what appears, on the surface, to be flimsy evidence might be done to give the public their proverbial whipping boy.

This reeks of Richard Jewell...

[Minstrel Boy]

37. With an election days away

that's my thought as well.

[Just Me]

42. Bottom line: extremist activity cannot justify a perpetual war against,...

,...whole "peoples" or nations, period. No, actually,...exclamation point!!!!!!!!!! Because, to do so replicates the fascism/totalitarianism/despotism that this world will NO LONGER TOLERATE!!! Humanity has had quite enough of this crap.

[Shopaholic]

48. Not so Fast--this is how the Repugs will spin it. . .

The way that I saw it on Fox which was something along the lines that the Democrats had to get their heads out of the sand and realize that we needed to be very tough on terrorists and their allies and that we had to attack on every front and support the war--any war that the president wished to pursue---with our "full support". They're calling us stupid for protesting the war in Iraq even those this very incident proves two things--1) our intell sucks and 2) that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11!

[NV1962]

56. Aznar at least came clean *before* the elections

He was accused of keeping the public perception that ETA was the prime suspect alive, so as to boost support for his staunch anti-ETA policy.

That's why 3,000 people were in front of the PP's HQ in Madrid: demanding openness about the investigation.

So, to have his interior minister give a press conference and announce the arrests (plus the two held for questioning) and not holding back their nationality (which obviously suggests an Al Q'aida type organization) is a decent decision. I'll respect him for that.

Now, let's see if indeed voter turnout is as high as expected... Which would, in theory, boost numbers for PSOE rather than PP.

[JCMach1]

63. Aznar is toast in today's election

:)

[NV1962]

68. I hope Zapatero is the next PM...

Let's see what happens.

[Guaranteed]

74. The detained in Spain ride mainly on a plane

:9

[radwriter0555]

81. They aren't ARABS, they're MOROCCANS and SPANISH...

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040313/D819LVD82.html

Spain Announces Five Arrests in Bombings


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Mar 13, 2:23 PM (ET)


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MADRID, Spain (AP) - Spain's interior minister Saturday announced the arrest of five suspects in the Madrid bombings, including three Moroccans.

The other two are Spaniards of "Hindu" origin, minister Angel Acebes said.

The five were arrested in connection with a cell phone inside an explosives-packed gym bag found on one of the bombed commuter trains.

The suspects "could be related to Moroccan extremist groups," the minister said. "But we should not rule out anything. Police are still investigating all avenues. This opens an important avenue."

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82. Moroccan Berbers reject Arab identity

http://pub18.ezboard.com/fbalkansfrm19.showMessage?topicID=187.topic

Interesting article!!

Berbers claim all Moroccans are Berbers and shout slogans they are not Arabs and want real history to be uncovered

RABAT (Reuters) - "We're not Arabs, bring out the real history," chanted hundreds of Moroccan Berbers during Labor Day marches this year. In the capital Rabat, passers-by showed mixed reactions to the unusual sight of Berbers shouting slogans in their Tamazight language and carrying banners written in Tifinagh, the Berber script.

Some expressed sympathy while others wondered why the Berbers were denying what has been their country's official identity for more than 14 centuries. "Why did police allow them to march? And here in Rabat?", one asked.

Berbers are the original inhabitants of North Africa, before the Arabs who invaded the fertile area in the seventh century in what is known as the "Islamic Conquests".

The Moroccan constitution says the country is Arab and Islam is its religion. The proportion of Berbers in the population of 30 million is not officially known but independent sources say they represent the majority.

The number of Berbers in the world is estimated at 25 million. Apart from Morocco, most of them live in Algeria, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Tunisia and in the Canary Islands.

[many a good man]

83. Not quite true...

In Spain, "hindu" refers to anyone from the Indian subcontinent in Asia, which has a sizeable number of Muslims who may or may not be of Arab descent. "Indio," the Spanish word for Indian, now refers only to Native Americans. All of North Africa, including Morocco and southern Spain, was conquered by Muslims mostly from Arab lands, in the centuries following Mohammed's birth.

So I guess you're kind of right in that they may not necessarily be "Arabs", but they are Muslim extremists.

[Renew Deal]

91. I know that now,.

That's what CNN said when I created this post. I can't believe this is still alive.