House holds bomb traces
2004-03-27 17:43
Madrid - Spanish police have raided a house near Madrid where the bombs used in the city's devastating train bombings are thought to have been made, the national papers reported on Saturday.
Police found pieces of detonators and explosives similar to those used in the March 11 attacks at the house, the papers quoted sources close to the probe as saying.
"The police found aluminium and copper detonators and traces of Goma 2 Eco dynamite, which means it is possible that the bombs were manufactured there," right-wing daily ABC said.
The house was in the countryside near Morata de Tajuna, around 30km southeast of the capital and 40km from the Madrid suburb of Alcala de Henares, the papers said.
13 bombs
The bombers are believed to have placed 13 bombs on four packed Madrid-bound commuter trains at Alcala de Henares. Ten of the devices exploded, killing 190 people and injuring more than 1 900.
On the day of the atrocity, police found a stolen white van in Alcala de Henares which contained the same type of detonators and an audio tape in Arabic of Qu'ranic verses. They later discovered Goma 2 Eco dynamite which had failed to explode, in a bag placed on board one of the trains.
Two released
Twelve people - nine Moroccans, two Indians and a Spaniard - are in custody in Spain facing provisional charges of murder and terrorism following the attacks. Spanish police have arrested a total of 20 people and six are due to appear in court from Monday. Two of the 20 have been released.
Two Moroccan nationals have been identified as key suspects: Jamal Zougam, seen by witnesses in one of the trains targeted, according to police, and Abderrahim Zbakh, a chemistry graduate from Tetuan Faculty of Science who is believed to be one of the bomb experts in the attacks.
The Chemist
According to El Mundo, the house near Morata de Tajuna was placed under surveillance "because it was frequented by Zougam and at least one other detainee, Abderrahim Zbakh, known as the "Chemist" and believed to have helped to manufacture the bombs".
"Apparently, Zougam and the "Chemist" used to meet up there with the other commando members who organised and carried out the attacks," the paper reported.
"It is considered very likely that the house was occupied by the group's leader, who is on the run from the authorities," the report said.
The El Pais daily also named five of the detainees due to appear in court next week, although the interior ministry refused to confirm the report.
According to the paper, the detainees are four Moroccans - two builders named Hanghar Morabit El Fouad, 28, and Basel, 25, and two brothers named Said and Hamid Ahmidam - and a Syrian called Mohanad.