ETA still 'prime suspects'
2004-03-13 21:30
Madrid - Spanish Interior Minister Angel Acebes said Saturday that Basque ETA militants remain the prime suspects in the investigation of the Madrid train bombings although police were following up two leads.
"We are progressing and following two leads. Police investigations are advancing rigorously and professionally," Acebes told a news conference.
"But ETA remain our prime suspects," Acebes said.
"That is what logic and common sense dictate and is the priority of the security forces."
Investigators discovered shortly after the blasts an audio tape containing Qu'ranic verses in Arabic in a stolen vehicle which also contained seven detonators.
In addition, a group claiming to be an Al-Qaeda affiliate e-mailed a statement to London-based newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi claiming responsibility on the evening of the attack.
No additional data
"As soon as the authorities informed us of the existence of a tape in Arabic we rigorously opened that line of enquiry. (But) there is no additional data suggesting a link to Al-Qaeda," said Acebes.
He insisted the government had been pursuing both the ETA lead as well as the possibility of Islamic fundamentalists from the start.
"We are not holding anything back. We are being wholly transparent," said Acebes.
But in a reference to ETA he added: "No Spaniard should be surprised that we are prioritising the terrorist group which has been committing terrorist acts in Spain for 30 years and killed some 900 people.
Caught red-handed
"ETA were looking to carry out a large-scale attack before (Sunday's general) election," said Acebes, in allusion to the group twice being caught red-handed in the past three months handling large quantities of explosives in apparent readiness for an attack on Madrid.
"They were directing all their energies towards that. We never had any doubts about it right from the start," Acebes went on.
"ETA were transporting some 350 kilos towards Madrid," Acebes said referring to the second occasion that an ETA cache had been stopped, near Cuenca, east of Madrid, two weeks ago.
"There is no doubt those who are responsible will be brought to justice and made to pay," he told reporters.
On Thursday, in a highly unusual move hours after the blasts and at Spain's urging, the United Nations Security Council blamed ETA by name for the attacks.