Anschläge von Madrid (11.3.2004)

Die Terroranschläge auf Pendlerzüge am Antocha-Bahnhof in Madrid am 11. März 2004 - drei Tage vor den spanischen Parlamentswahlen - gehörten zu den größten Anschlägen seit dem 11. September 2001. Es gab 191 Tote und 2050 Verletzte.[1]

The official investigation by the Spanish Judiciary determined the attacks were directed by an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell[2][3][4] although no direct al-Qaeda participation has been established.[5][6][7] Spanish nationals who sold the explosives to the terrorists were also arrested.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] According to the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center, this is the only Islamist terrorist act in the history of Europe where international Islamists collaborated with non-Muslims.[24]

The authorship of the bombings remains controversial to some groups in Spain due to the high political price paid by the Partido Popular (PP), who were then in power. The aftermath of the terrorist attacks were marked by bitter arguments between the two main political parties (PSOE and PP), who accused each other of concealing or distorting evidence for electoral reasons. If it was proven that the 11 March attacks had been carried out by ETA, political analysts[25][26] believe it would have strengthened the PP's chances of being re-elected, as this would have been perceived as the death throes of a terrorist organisation reduced to desperate measures by the strong anti-terrorist policy of the Aznar administration. On the other hand, an Islamist attack would have been perceived as the direct result of Spain's involvement in Iraq, an unpopular war[27] that had not been approved by the Spanish Parliament.

A controversy appeared regarding the handling and representation of the bombings by the government of José María Aznar and alleged unresolved issues around the bombings.

After 21 months of investigation, judge Juan del Olmo ruled Moroccan national Jamal Zougam guilty of physically carrying out the attack,[28] ruling out any ETA intervention. Nation-wide demonstrations and protests followed the attacks.[29] Many analysts coincide on the view that the Aznar administration lost the general elections as a result of the handling and representation of the terrorist attacks, rather than the bombings per se.[30][31][32]