Morocco a big terror threat
2004-07-15 19:25
Madrid - Morocco - home to most of the suspects in the Madrid train bombing - is teeming with some 100 al-Qaeda-linked cells that are capable of suicide attacks and pose Europe's biggest terrorist threat, Spain's leading anti-terrorism judge testified on Thursday.
Each cell has five to 10 members, "so we are talking about 900 to 1 000 people who could be sought by police now in Morocco," Judge Baltasar Garzon told lawmakers investigating the March 11 attacks, which killed 190 people. Garzon quoted police and intelligence data.
"In my opinion it is the gravest problem Europe faces today with this kind of terrorism," Garzon said, noting that many of those groups are in northern Morocco, with members who speak perfect Spanish and are able to slip easily in and out of Spain.
He also complained that European law enforcement bodies, intelligence services and courts lack a clearly defined strategy for fighting Islamic terrorism.
"At least I don't know of one yet, despite all the efforts that are being made," Garzon said.
Most of the 17 people jailed in Spain on preliminary charges stemming from the Madrid bombing attack are Moroccan, including Jamal Zougam, suspected of physically placing the bombs on the crowded morning commuter trains.
Garzon said his initial gut reaction to the attack was that al-Qaeda - not Basque separatists, as asserted by the government - were responsible, because of the scale of the carnage and its stunning co-ordination, 10 virtually simultaneous blasts.
"It was like a light bulb going on," Garzon said, referring specifically to the tape. "I had no doubt whatsoever." At that point the government had already blamed the Basque separatist group ETA, and even after disclosing the existence of the tape it continued to insist ETA was the prime suspect.
Spain's former conservative government had backed the Iraq war despite fierce opposition at home, and sent 1 300 troops after major combat ended. After the train bombings, it feared that word of an Islamic link would doom it in general elections due in three days. Voters did punish the government, electing Socialists who had opposed the war and quickly brought the soldiers home.
Garzon testified before the 16-member commission in his capacity as an expert on Islamic terrorism after investigating Muslim extremist groups in Spain since 1989.
Garzon is not leading the March 11 inquiry, aimed at examining the government's handling of the massacre and whether it could have been averted. A colleague of his at the National Court, Juan del Olmo, is overseeing the hearings.
- AP