View source for 2004 Madrid train bombings

{{short description|Terrorist attack on Madrid's suburban trains}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox terrorist attack
| title            = 2004 Madrid train bombings
| partof           = the spillover of the [[Iraq War]], [[terrorism in Spain]] and [[Islamic terrorism in Europe]]
| image            = Atentado 11M.jpg
| image_size       = 275px
| caption          = Remains of one of the trains, near [[Madrid Atocha railway station|Atocha station]]
| location         = [[Madrid]], Spain
| target           = [[Cercanías Madrid|Madrid commuter rail network]], [[civilian]]s
| date             = {{start date and age|2004|3|11|df=y}}
| time-begin       = 7:37
| time-end         = 7:40 [[Central European Time|CET]]
| timezone         = [[UTC+01:00]]
| type             = [[Mass murder]], [[bombing|time bombing]], [[terrorism]]
| weapons          = Backpacks filled with [[Goma-2]] explosives
| fatalities       = 200
| injuries         = 2,500<ref name="El Mundo">{{cite news|url=https://www.elmundo.es/documentos/2006/04/11/auto_11m.html|title=El auto de procesamiento por el 11-M - Documentos|language=es|trans-title=The automatic processing for 11-M - Documents|newspaper=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]]|date=11 April 2006}}</ref>
| perps            = [[Jamal Zougam]] and five other individuals
| motive           = Opposition to Spanish participation in the [[Iraq War|Iraq]] and [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|Afghanistan War]]s
}}

The '''2004 Madrid train bombings''' (also known in Spain as '''11M''') were a series of coordinated, nearly simultaneous bombings against the [[Cercanías Madrid|Cercanías commuter train system]] of [[Madrid]], Spain, on the morning of 11 March 2004—three days before [[2004 Spanish general election|Spain's general elections]]. The explosions killed 200 people and injured around 2,500.<ref name="El Mundo"/><ref name=":0">[https://web.archive.org/web/20150315034747/http://www.zoomnews.es/499926/actualidad/espana/pilar-manjon-lamenta-ostracismo-las-victimas-once-anos-despues-del-11-m ZoomNews (in Spanish)]. The 200nd victim (Laura Vega) died in 2014, after a decade in coma in a hospital of Madrid. She was the last hospitalized injured person.</ref> The bombings constituted the deadliest terrorist attack carried out in the history of Spain and the deadliest in Europe [[Pan Am Flight 103|since 1988]].<ref name="Guardian Casualties">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/31/spain.marktran|title=21 guilty, seven cleared over Madrid train bombings|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=31 October 2007|author1=Paul Hamilos|author2=Mark Tran|access-date=22 February 2015}}</ref>  The attacks were carried out by individuals who opposed Spanish involvement in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|2003 US-led invasion of Iraq]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Genzmer |first=Herbert |title=Great Disasters |last2=Kershner |first2=Sybille |last3=Schutz |first3=Christian |isbn=9781445410968 |page=197 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="Elizabeth Nash">{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1961431.ece|title=Madrid bombers 'were inspired by bin Laden address' |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |location=UK|author=Elizabeth Nash|date=7 November 2006|access-date=16 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706184144/http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1961431.ece|archive-date=6 July 2008|quote=While the bombers may have been inspired by bin Laden, a two-year investigation into the attacks has found no evidence that al-Qa'ida helped plan, finance or carry out the bombings, or even knew about them in advance. Ten bombs in backpacks and other small bags, such as gym bags, exploded. One bomb did not explode and was defused. The police did controlled explosions on three other bombs.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=5036624|title=Trial Opens in Madrid for Train Bombings That Killed 191|publisher=[[KABC-TV]] Los Angeles|date=15 February 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113224317/http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news%2Fnational_world&id=5036624|archive-date=13 November 2013|quote=The cell was inspired by al-Qaida but had no direct links to it, nor did it receive financing from Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization, Spanish investigators say}}</ref><ref name="borrull.org">{{cite news|url=http://www.borrull.org/e/noticia.php?id=57214&id2=16236|title=Al Qaeda, Madrid bombs not linked: Spanish probe|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|date=9 March 2006|via=borrull.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235001/http://www.borrull.org/e/noticia.php?id=57214&id2=16236|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref><ref name="Islam and terrorism">{{cite web|url=http://www.iiss.org/conferences/counter-terrorism-series/islam-and-terrorism |title=Islam and terrorism|publisher=[[International Institute for Strategic Studies]]|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604210519/http://www.iiss.org/conferences/counter-terrorism-series/islam-and-terrorism|archive-date=4 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://jamestown.org/program/the-madrid-attacks-results-of-investigations-two-years-later/#.VtViB3sXf_M |title=Terrorism Monitor {{!}} The Madrid Attacks: Results of Investigations Two Years Later|publisher=[[Jamestown Foundation]]|date=9 March 2006 |volume=4 |issue=5 |author1=Javier Jordán|author2=Robert Wesley}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040316/ai_n12773616 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206162943/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040316/ai_n12773616|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 December 2008|title=Madrid: The Aftermath: Spain admits bombs were the work of Islamists|newspaper=The Independent|location=London, UK|date=16 March 2004}}</ref>

[[Controversies about the 2004 Madrid train bombings|Controversy regarding the handling and representation of the bombings]] by the government arose, with Spain's two main political parties—the [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party]] (PSOE) and the [[People's Party (Spain)|Partido Popular]] (PP)—accusing each other of concealing or distorting evidence for electoral reasons. The bombings occurred three days before [[2004 Spanish general election|general elections]] in which incumbent Prime Minister [[José María Aznar]]'s PP was defeated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sigmados.com/esp/analisis.pdf|title=Archived copy|access-date=16 December 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041216151125/http://www.sigmados.com/esp/analisis.pdf|archive-date=16 December 2004}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Immediately after the bombing, leaders of the PP claimed evidence indicating the Basque separatist organization [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]] (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) was responsible for the bombings,<ref name=":1" /><ref name="multiref1">[http://www.upf.edu/dcpis/_pdf/ignacio_lago.pdf Lago, I. (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) Del 11-M al 14-M: Los mecanismos del cambio electoral], pp. 12–13. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123014039/http://www.upf.edu/dcpis/activitats/forum/ignacio_lago.pdf|date=23 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/documentos/2004/03/espana/atentados11m/literatura.html|title=Selected bibliography on political analysis of the 11-M aftermath|work=El Mundo|location=Spain|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606080059/http://www.elmundo.es/documentos/2004/03/espana/atentados11m/literatura.html|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> while the opposition claimed that the PP was trying to prevent the public from knowing it had been an Islamist attack, which would be interpreted as the direct result of Spain's involvement in Iraq, an unpopular war which the government had entered without the approval of the [[Spanish Parliament]].<ref name="multiref2" /> The scale and precise planning of the attacks reared memories of the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref name=":1" />

Following the attacks, there were nationwide demonstrations and protests demanding that the government "tell the truth."<ref>Cf. Meso Ayeldi, K. "Teléfonos móviles e Internet, nuevas tecnologías para construir un espacio público contrainformativo: El ejemplo de los flash mob en la tarde del 13M" [http://www.ull.es/publicaciones/latina/20041558meso.pdf Universidad de La Laguna] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119010901/https://www.ull.es/publicaciones/latina/20041558meso.pdf |date=19 November 2018 }}; accessed 1 June 2018.</ref> The prevailing opinion of political analysts is that the Aznar administration lost the general elections as a result of the handling and representation of the terrorist attacks, rather than because of the bombings per se.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.elperiodico.com/comunes/11M/index05casB.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418044549/http://www.elperiodico.com/comunes/11M/index05casB.asp|url-status=dead|title=El Periódico – 11M|archive-date=18 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elperiodico.com/comunes/11M/index05casA.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418043130/http://www.elperiodico.com/comunes/11M/index05casA.asp|url-status=dead|title=El Periódico – 11M|archive-date=18 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elperiodico.com/comunes/11M/index05casI.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418053023/http://www.elperiodico.com/comunes/11M/index05casI.asp|url-status=dead|title=El Periódico – 11M|archive-date=18 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brookings.edu/testimony/2004/0331europe_gordon.aspx|title=Madrid Bombings and U.S. Policy – Brookings |publisher=Brookings.edu|date=31 March 2004|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606003054/http://www.brookings.edu/testimony/2004/0331europe_gordon.aspx|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Results published in ''The Review of Economics and Statistics'' by economist {{ill|José García Montalvo|es}}<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.barcelonagse.eu/people/garcia-montalvo-jose |title = José García-Montalvo|date = 30 June 2015}}</ref> seem to suggest that indeed the bombings had important electoral impact<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 41349103|title = Voting After the Bombings: A Natural Experiment on the Effect of Terrorist Attacks on Democratic Elections|last1 = Montalvo|first1 = José G.|journal = The Review of Economics and Statistics|year = 2011|volume = 93|issue = 4|pages = 1146–1154|doi = 10.1162/REST_a_00115|s2cid = 57571182|citeseerx = 10.1.1.717.8240}}</ref> (turning the electoral outcome against the incumbent People's Party and handing government over to the Socialist Party, PSOE).

After 21 months of investigation, judge [[Juan del Olmo]] tried Moroccan national [[Jamal Zougam]], among several others, for his participation carrying out the attack.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/papel/2005/12/09/espana/1900192.html|title=Del Olmo sólo tiene ya un presunto autor material del 11-M para sentar en el banquillo|work=El Mundo|location=Spain|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012162415/http://elmundo.es/papel/2005/12/09/espana/1900192.html|archive-date=12 October 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Although claims were made that attacks were linked to [[al-Qaeda]],<ref>{{cite news|last=O'Neill|first=Sean|date=15 February 2007|title=Spain furious as US blocks access to Madrid bombing 'chief'|work=The Times|location=London, UK|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1391123.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224221933/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1391123.ece|access-date=16 February 2010|archive-date=24 February 2007|quote=The al-Qaeda leader who created, trained and directed the terrorist cell that carried out the Madrid train bombings has been held in a CIA "ghost prison" for more than a year.}}</ref> investigations and probes conducted by Spanish officials did not find any links to al-Qaeda.<ref name="Elizabeth Nash"/><ref name="borrull.org"/><ref name="Islam and terrorism"/> Findings issued by the Spanish judiciary in September 2007 found 21 individuals of participating in the attacks, while rejecting the involvement of an external mastermind or direct al-Qaeda links.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barrett|first=Jane|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL308491320071031?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0|title=The biggest surprise was that two men originally accused of planning the attack were convicted only of belonging to a terrorist group, not of the Madrid killings... 'We're very surprised by the acquittal,' said Jose Maria de Pablos, attorney of a victims' association linked to conspiracy theories. 'If it wasn't them, we have to find out who it was. Somebody gave the order.'|work=Reuters|access-date=5 May 2011|date=31 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223070850/https://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL308491320071031?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0| archive-date=23 February 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/10/31/espana/1193864074.html|title=ETA, Irak, Zougam, el explosivo... y otras claves de la sentencia del 11-M|work=El Mundo|location=Spain|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606085412/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/10/31/espana/1193864074.html|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/10/31/espana/1193830716.html|title=El 11-M se queda sin autores intelectuales al quedar absueltos los tres acusados de serlo|work=El Mundo|location=Spain|date=31 October 2007|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606085423/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/10/31/espana/1193830716.html|archive-date= 6 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/11/01/espana/1193885319.html|title=El final del principio en la investigación del 11-M|work=El Mundo|location=Spain|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606085310/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/11/01/espana/1193885319.html|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/11/05/espana/1194233049.html|title=El tribunal del 11-M desbarata la tesis clave de la versión oficial en su sentencia|work=El Mundo|location=Spain|date=31 October 2007|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606085325/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/11/05/espana/1194233049.html|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:2004 Madrid train bombings map.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Bombings map]]

During the peak of Madrid rush hour on the morning of Thursday, 11 March 2004, ten explosions occurred aboard four commuter trains (''cercanías'').<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cadenaser.com/comunes/2004/11m/portada.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005135913/http://www.cadenaser.com/comunes/2004/11m/portada.html|url-status=dead|title=Sound of the second wave of bombs recorded in a cellular phone conversation|archive-date=5 October 2006}}</ref> The date, 11 March, led to the abbreviation of the incident as "11-M". All the affected trains were traveling on the same line and in the same direction between [[Alcalá de Henares]] and the [[Madrid Atocha railway station|Atocha]] station in Madrid. It was later reported that thirteen [[improvised explosive device]]s (IEDs) had been placed on the trains. [[Bomb disposal]] teams ([[TEDAX]]) arriving at the scenes of the explosions detonated two of the remaining three IEDs in controlled explosions, but the third was not found until later in the evening, having been stored inadvertently with luggage taken from one of the trains. The following timeline of events comes from the judicial investigation.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/documentos/2006/04/11/auto_11m.html|title=elmundo.es. Documento: Auto del 11-M|website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref>

All four trains had departed the Alcalá de Henares station between 07:01 and 07:14.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} The explosions took place between 07:37 and 07:40, as described below (all times given are in local time [[Central European Time|CET]], [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] +1):
* Atocha Station (train number 21431) – Three bombs exploded. Based on the video recording from the station security system, the first bomb exploded at 07:37, and two others exploded within 4&nbsp;seconds of each other at 07:38. The train cars affected were the sixth, fifth and fourth. A fourth device was found by the [[TEDAX]] team two hours later in the first car, which was scheduled to explode when emergency services arrived. Two hours after the first explosions, the bomb was detonated by the bomb disposal team in the first car in a controlled manner.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
* El Pozo del Tío Raimundo Station (train number 21435) – At approximately 07:38, just as the train (six cars and double-decker) was starting to leave the station, two bombs exploded in different carriages. The carriages affected were the fourth and fifth. Another bomb was found in the third wagon and was detonated hours later by the TEDAX team on the platform, slightly damaging the third wagon. Yet another bomb was found in the second carriage; it was disabled hours later in the nearby Parque Azorín, and allowed the police to find several suspects.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
* Santa Eugenia Station (train number 21713) – One bomb exploded at approximately 07:38. The only wagon affected was the fourth.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
* Calle Téllez (train number 17305), approximately 800&nbsp;meters from Atocha Station – Four bombs exploded in different carriages of the train at approximately 07:39. The wagons affected were the first, the fourth, the fifth and sixth. The train was slowing down to stop and wait for train 21431 to vacate platform 2 in Atocha.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

At 08:00, emergency relief workers began arriving at the scenes of the bombings. The police reported numerous victims and spoke of 50 wounded and several dead. By 08:30 the emergency ambulance service, SAMUR (Servicio de Asistencia Municipal de Urgencia y Rescate), had set up a field hospital at the Daoiz y Velarde sports facility.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} Bystanders and local residents helped relief workers, as hospitals were told to expect the arrival of many casualties. At 08:43, firefighters reported 15 dead at El Pozo. By 09:00, the police had confirmed the death of at least 30 people – 20 at El Pozo and about 10 in Santa Eugenia and Atocha. People combed the city's major hospitals in search of family members who they thought were aboard the trains. There were 193 confirmed dead victims, the last victim dying in 2014 after having been in a coma for 10 years due to one of the Atocha explosions and not having been able to recover from their injuries.<ref name=":0" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Citizenships of the victims
|- style="background:#ccf;"
!|Citizenship<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.es/espana/abci-lista-victimas-200710300300-1641255913395_noticia.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.es%2Fespana%2Fabci-lista-victimas-200710300300-1641255913395_noticia.html|title=La lista de las víctimas del 11-M|date=30 October 2007|website=ABC España}}</ref>|||Victims
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|SPA|size=23px}}||142
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|ROU|size=23px}}||16
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|ECU|size=23px|1900}}||6
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|BUL|size=23px}}||4
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|PER|size=23px}}||4
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|POL|size=23px}}||4
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|COL|size=23px}}||2
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|DOM|size=23px}}||2
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|HON|size=23px|1949}}||2
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|MAR|size=23px}}||2
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|UKR|size=23px|1992}}||2
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|FRA|size=23px|1974}}||1
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|BRA|size=23px}}||1
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|CHI|size=23px}}||1
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|CUB|size=23px}}||1
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|PHI|size=23px}}||1
|- valign=top
|{{flagcountry|SEN|size=23px}}||1
|- valign=top
|'''Total'''||'''193'''
|}

The total number of victims was higher than in any other terrorist attack in Spain, far surpassing the 21 killed and 40 wounded from a [[1987 Hipercor bombing|1987 bombing]] at a Hipercor chain supermarket in Barcelona. On that occasion, responsibility was claimed by [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]]. It was Europe's worst terror attack since the bombing of [[Pan Am Flight 103]] over [[Lockerbie]], Scotland on 21 December 1988.<ref name="Guardian Casualties"/>

==Further bombings spur investigation==
[[File:Funeral en memoria de las víctimas del 11M (2004) - 42076002434.jpg|thumb|State funeral at the Almudena Cathedral]]

A device composed of 12 kilograms of [[Goma-2]] ECO with a detonator and 136&nbsp;meters of wire (connected to nothing) was found on the track of a high-speed railway line ([[AVE]]) on 2 April.<ref name="multiref3">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/reporting|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211161844/http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040802fa_fact|url-status=dead|title=THE LORAX: How Joe Lieberman sees himself.|archivedate=11 February 2007|magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref> The Spanish judiciary chose not to investigate that incident and the perpetrators remain unknown. The device used in the AVE incident was unable to explode because it lacked an [[Improvised explosive device#Background|initiation system]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://libertaddigital.com/noticias/kw/11-m/11m/kw/noticia_1276326899.html|title=Archivan las investigaciones sobre el intento de atentado contra el AVE|publisher=Libertaddigital.com|date=26 November 2008|access-date=5 May 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007202751/http://www.libertaddigital.com/noticias/kw/11-m/11m/kw/noticia_1276326899.html|archive-date=7 October 2008}}</ref>

Shortly after the AVE incident, police identified an apartment in [[Leganés]], south of Madrid, as the base of operations for the individuals suspected of being the perpetrators of the Madrid and AVE attacks. The suspected militants, Sarhane Abdelmaji "the Tunisian" and Jamal Ahmidan "the Chinese", were trapped inside the apartment by a police raid on the evening of 3 April. At 9:03&nbsp;pm, when the police attempted to breach the premises, the militants committed suicide by setting off explosives, killing themselves and one of the police officers.<ref name="Leganés Explosion">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/04/04/spain.bombings/|title=Suspected Madrid bombing ringleader killed|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=4 April 2004|first=Al|last=Goodman}}</ref>
Investigators subsequently found that the explosives used in the Leganés explosion were of the same type as those used in the 11 March attacks (though it had not been possible to identify a brand of dynamite from samples taken from the trains) and in the thwarted bombing of the AVE line.<ref name="multiref3"/>

Based on the assumption that the militants killed at Leganés were indeed the individuals responsible for the train bombings, the ensuing investigation focused on how they obtained their estimated 200&nbsp;kg of explosives. The investigation revealed that they had been bought from a retired miner who still had access to blasting equipment.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/europe/3626235.stm|title=Madrid bomb cell neutralised (BBC Europe)|work=[[BBC News]]|date=14 April 2004|access-date=5 May 2011}}</ref>

<!-- what do I do with this? --~~~~ -->
Five to eight suspects believed to be involved in the 11 March attacks managed to escape.<ref name="suspects"/>
<!-- Not sure what to do with this either. --~~~~ -->
In December 2006, the newspaper ''[[ABC (newspaper)|ABC]]'' reported that ETA reminded Spanish Prime Minister [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]] about 11 March 2004 as an example of what could happen unless the government considered their petitions (in reference to the 2004 electoral swing), although the source also makes it clear that ETA 'had nothing to do' with the attack itself.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.es/20061231/nacional-terrorismo/banda-recordo-ejecutivo-precedente_200612310243.html|title=La banda recordó al Ejecutivo el precedente del 11-M|language=es|trans-title=The group reminded the Executive of the precedent of 11-M|newspaper=[[ABC (newspaper)|ABC]]|date=31 December 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102221851/http://www.abc.es/20061231/nacional-terrorismo/banda-recordo-ejecutivo-precedente_200612310243.html|archive-date=2 January 2007}}</ref>

===Aftermath===
{{See also|Reactions to the 2004 Madrid train bombings}}
[[File:11-M Plaque.jpg|thumb|Plaque in memory of the casualties in the 11-M terror attack in [[Madrid]]:<br /> ''In memory of the victims of the attacks of 11 March 2004, who were transported to the field hospital established here in the Municipal Sports Centre of Daoiz y Velarde.
As an expression of sympathy from Madrid's citizens, and of gratitude for the courage and generosity of all the services and people who came to their aid.'']]

In France, the [[Vigipirate]] plan was upgraded to orange level.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3505094.stm|title=France raises alert to orange|work=BBC News|date=12 March 2004|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040511203500/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3505094.stm|archive-date=11 May 2004|url-status=live}}</ref> In Italy, the government declared a state of high alert.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369936|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719012428/http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369936|url-status=dead|title=The Terrorist Threat to the Italian Elections (Jamestown)|archive-date=19 July 2006}}</ref>

In December 2004, [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]] claimed that the PP government erased all of the computer files related to the Madrid bombings, leaving only the documents on paper.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/spain/article/0,2763,1373280,00.html|title=Aznar "wiped files on Madrid bombings"|newspaper=The Guardian|date=14 December 2004|via=[[El País]]}}</ref>

On 25 March 2005, prosecutor Olga Sánchez asserted that the bombings happened 911 days (exactly 2 and a half years) after the [[11 September attacks]] due to the "highly symbolic and [[Kabbalah|qabbalistic]] charge for local Al-Qaida groups"<ref>[http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/factor/cabalistico/eleccion/fecha/matanza/trenes/elpepiesp/20050310elpepinac_2/Tes/ ''Un factor "cabalístico" en la elección de la fecha de la matanza en los trenes''], "El País", 2005 March 10</ref> of choosing that day. Actually, because 2004 was a leap year, 912 days had elapsed between 11 September 2001 and 11 March 2004.

On 27 May 2005, the [[Prüm Convention]], implementing ''[[inter alia]]'' the principle of availability which began to be discussed after the Madrid bombings, was signed by Germany, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, and Belgium.

On 4 January 2007, ''[[El País]]'' reported that Algerian Ouhnane Daoud, who is considered to be the mastermind of the 11-M bombings, has been searching for ways to return to Spain to prepare further attacks,<ref>[http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/argelino/huido/perpetrar/11-M/preparaba/nuevos/atentados/Espana/elpepuesp/20070104elpepinac_2/Tes El País] ''El argelino huido tras perpetrar el 11-M preparaba nuevos atentados en España'' [[El País]], 4 January 2007</ref> though this has not been confirmed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metronieuws.nl/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205050845/http://www.metronieuws.nl/index.php?actie=nieuws&c=1&id=128930|url-status=dead|title=Voorpagina|archive-date=5 December 2008|website=Metronieuws.nl}}</ref>

On 17 March 2008, Basel Ghalyoun, Mohamed Almallah Dabas, Abdelillah El-Fadual El-Akil and Raúl González Peña, having been found guilty by the Audiencia Nacional, were released after a Higher Court ruling.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[Diario Siglo XXI]]|url=http://www.diariosigloxxi.com/texto-ep/mostrar/20080717170043|title=El TS absuelve a cuatro procesados del 11-M por falta de pruebas y un error en un registro ordenado por Del Olmo|date=17 July 2008|access-date=1 September 2009|author=Guillermo Peris Peris|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710123143/http://www.diariosigloxxi.com/texto-ep/mostrar/20080717170043|archive-date=10 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> This court also verified the release of the Egyptian Rabei Osman al-Sayed.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[ADN.es]]|url=http://www.adn.es/ciudadanos/20080702/NWS-2362-Tribunal-Supremo-sentencia-atentados-concluye.html|title=Tribunal Supremo concluye vista de recursos contra sentencia atentados 11-M|date=2 July 2008|access-date=1 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719234624/http://www.adn.es/ciudadanos/20080702/NWS-2362-Tribunal-Supremo-sentencia-atentados-concluye.html|archive-date=19 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Responsibility==
[[File:Haría - Calle Vista del Valle - cemetery - memorial 02 ies.jpg|thumb|Memorial plaque to the victims in [[Haría (municipality)|Haría]], [[Lanzarote]]]]

On 14 March 2004, [[Abu Nayaf al-Afghani|Abu Dujana al-Afghani]], a purported spokesman for [[al-Qaeda]] in Europe, appeared in a videotape claiming responsibility for the attacks.<ref name=Bbc20040314>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3509556.stm|title=Full text: 'Al-Qaeda' Madrid claim| work=BBC News|date=14 March 2004|access-date=18 January 2008}}</ref>

The Spanish judiciary stated that a loose group of Moroccan, Syrian, and Algerian Muslims and two [[Guardia Civil]] and Spanish police [[informant]]s<ref>[[The Times]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20110224025904/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article447363.ece Bomb squad link in Spanish blast]</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2006/02/07/espana/1139297607.html|title=Principales procesados por los atentados del 11-M &#124; elmundo.es|website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2006/05/26/espana/1148634335.html|title=Los dos cómplices clave de los autores del 11-M eran confidentes policiales &#124; elmundo.es|website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref> were suspected of having carried out the attacks. On 11 April 2006, Judge [[Juan del Olmo]] charged 29 suspects for their involvement in the train bombings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/madrid_04-11-06.html |title=Suspects indicted in Madrid train attacks (OnlineNewsHous) |publisher=Pbs.org |access-date=5 May 2011 |archive-date=21 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121143823/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/madrid_04-11-06.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

No evidence has been found of al-Qaeda involvement,<ref name="Elizabeth Nash"/> although an al-Qaeda claim was made the day of the attacks by the [[Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades]]. U.S. officials note that this group is "notoriously unreliable".<ref>{{cite news|author=Francie Grace|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/12/world/main605547.shtml|title=CBS News. Madrid Massacre Probe Widens|work=CBS News|date=11 March 2004|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524035948/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/12/world/main605547.shtml|archive-date= 24 May 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> In August 2007, al-Qaeda claimed to be "proud" about the Madrid 2004 bombings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/08/06/internacional/1186414637.html|title=Al Qaeda dice sentirse 'orgullosa' de la destrucción que afectó a Madrid el 11-M|newspaper=El Mundo|location=Spain|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606141611/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/08/06/internacional/1186414637.html|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[The Independent]]'' reported that "Those who invented the new kind of rucksack bomb used in the attacks are said to have been taught in training camps in [[Jalalabad]], Afghanistan, under instruction from members of Morocco's radical Islamist Combat Group."<ref name="Elizabeth Nash"/>

Mohamed Darif, a professor of [[political science]] at [[List of universities in Morocco|Hassan II University]] in [[Mohammedia]], stated in 2004 that the history of the Moroccan Combat Group is directly tied to the rise of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. According to Darif, "Since its inception at the end of the 1990s and until 2001, the role of the organisation was restricted to giving logistic support to al-Qaeda in Morocco, finding its members places to live, providing them with false papers, with the opportunity of marrying Moroccans and with false identities to allow them to travel to Europe. Since 11 September, however, which brought the Kingdom of Morocco in on the side of the fight against terrorism, the organisation switched strategies and opted for terrorist attacks within Morocco itself."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/analisis/465/ARI-51-2004-I.pdf|title=The Moroccan Combat Group (PDF)|publisher=Real Instituto Elcano|author=Mohamed Darif|date=30 March 2004|access-date=16 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327080636/http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/analisis/465/ARI-51-2004-I.pdf|archive-date=27 March 2009}}</ref>

Scholar Rogelio Alonso said in 2007, "the investigation had uncovered a link between the Madrid suspects and the wider world of al-Qaida".<ref name="multiref4">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/spain/article/0,,2202367,00.html|title=The worst Islamist attack in European history|newspaper=The Guardian|date=31 October 2007|location=London, UK|access-date=5 May 2011}}</ref> [[Scott Atran]] said "There isn't the slightest bit of evidence of any relationship with al-Qaida. We've been looking at it closely for years and we've been briefed by everybody under the sun... and nothing connects them."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,,2202356,00.html|title=21 guilty, seven cleared over Madrid train bombings|newspaper=The Guardian|date=31 October 2007|author1=Paul Hamilos|author2=Mark Tran|location=Madrid|access-date=5 May 2011}}</ref> He provides a detailed timeline that lends credence to this view.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/oct/24/scott-atran-talking-to-the-enemy-review|title=Talking to the Enemy by Scott Atran – A Review by Jason Burke|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 October 2010|author=Jason Burke|location=London, UK|access-date=5 May 2011}}</ref>

According to the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center, the Islamic extremists' alliance with ETA is highly dubious and "there is not anyway any terror case whatsoever to this day in which islamist internationalists collaborated with non-muslims".<ref>[http://www.esisc.org/Attentats%20de%20Madrid.pdf PDF]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061010090143/http://www.esisc.org/Attentats%20de%20Madrid.pdf|date=10 October 2006}} "Anyway, to this day here has never been any example of a terrorist action by international Islamists made in collaboration with non-Muslims." French original: ''Il n'y a d'ailleurs à ce jour aucun example d'une action terroriste menée par des islamistes internationalistes en collaboration avec des non-musulmans''</ref>

Former Spanish Prime Minister [[José María Aznar]] said in 2011 that [[Abdelhakim Belhadj]], leader of the [[Libyan Islamic Fighting Group]] and current head of the Tripoli Military Council, was suspected of complicity in the bombings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spain's Former Prime Minister José María Aznar on the Arab Awakening and How the West Should React|author=[[José María Aznar]]|work=[[CNBC]] Guest Blog|date=9 December 2011|url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/45600052|access-date=22 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Diplomacy after the Arab uprisings|author=Dore Gold|date=14 December 2011|journal=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|url=http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?ID=249499&R=R1|access-date=22 December 2011}}</ref>

===Allegations of ETA involvement===
[[File:Anónimo11M04.JPG|thumb|Anonymous protest: "The brave are brave as long as the coward wants".]] <!--not clear what the point of this image is-->

Immediate reactions to the attacks in Madrid were the several press conferences held by the Spanish prime minister [[José María Aznar]] involving [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]]. The Spanish government maintained this theory for two days. Because the bombs were detonated three days before the [[Spanish legislative election, 2004|general elections]] in Spain, the situation had many political interpretations. The United States also initially believed ETA was responsible,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://213.251.145.96/cable/2004/03/04MADRID827.html|title=cable 04MADRID827|website=WikiLeaks|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215002002/http://213.251.145.96/cable/2004/03/04MADRID827.html|archive-date=15 December 2010}}</ref> then questioning if Islamic extremists were responsible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://213.251.145.96/cable/2004/03/04MADRID893.html|title=cable 04MADRID893|website=WikiLeaks|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215002104/http://213.251.145.96/cable/2004/03/04MADRID893.html|archive-date=15 December 2010}}</ref> Spain's third-largest newspaper, [[ABC (newspaper)|ABC]], immediately labelled the attacks as "ETA's bloodiest attack."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.es/espana/abci-comete-atentado-mas-sangriento-historia-200403110300-962385023272_noticia.html|title=ETA comete el atentado más sangriento de su historia|language=es|trans-title=ETA commits the bloodiest attack in its history|newspaper=ABC|date=11 March 2004}}</ref>

Due to the government theory, statements issued shortly after the Madrid attacks, including from [[lehendakari]] [[Juan José Ibarretxe]] identified ETA as the prime suspect, but the group, which usually claims responsibility for its actions, denied any involvement.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/voters-oust-spanish-government/|title=Voters Oust Spanish Government|work=[[CBS News]]|date=15 March 2004|author=Francie Grace|quote=On Sunday, a Basque-language daily published a statement by ETA in which the group for a second time denied involvement in the attacks|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108000610/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/voters-oust-spanish-government/|archive-date=8 November 2015}}</ref> Later evidence strongly pointed to the involvement of extremist [[Islamist]] groups, with the [[Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group]] named as a focus of investigations.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4899544.stm|title=Madrid bombings: Defendants|work=BBC News|date=17 July 2008|access-date=5 May 2011}}</ref>

Although ETA has a history of mounting bomb attacks in Madrid,<ref>{{cite news|author=Francie Grace |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madrid-massacre-probe-widens/ |title=Madrid Massacre Probe Widens |work=CBS News |date=11 March 2004 |access-date=5 May 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110524035948/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/12/world/main605547.shtml| archive-date= 24 May 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> the 11 March attacks exceeded any attack previously attempted by a European organisation. This led some experts to point out that the tactics used were more typical of militant Islamic extremist groups, perhaps with a certain link to [[al-Qaeda]], or maybe to a new generation of ETA activists using al-Qaeda as a role model. Observers also noted that ETA customarily, but not always, issues warnings before its mass bombings and that there had been no warning for this attack. [[Europol]] director Jürgen Storbeck commented that the bombings "could have been ETA... But we're dealing with an attack that doesn't correspond to the [[modus operandi]] they have adopted up to now".<ref>{{cite news|author1=Ewen MacAskill|author2=Richard Norton-Taylor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,3604,1167839,00.html|title=From Bali to Madrid, attackers seek to inflict ever-greater casualties|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London, UK|access-date=5 May 2011|date=12 March 2004}}</ref>

Political analysts believe ETA's guilt would have strengthened the PP's chances of being re-elected, as this would have been regarded as the death throes of a terrorist organisation reduced to desperate measures by the strong anti-terrorist policy of the Aznar government.<ref name="multiref1"/> On the other hand, an Islamic extremist attack would have been perceived as the direct result of Spain's involvement in Iraq, an unpopular war that had not been approved by the Spanish Parliament.<ref name="multiref2">92% of the Spanish population expressed its disagreement with the intervention [http://www.clarin.com/diario/2003/03/29/um/m-537495.htm Clarin.com], 29 March 2003.</ref>

===Investigation===
All of the devices are thought to have been hidden inside [[backpack]]s. The police investigated reports of three people in [[ski mask]]s getting on and off the trains several times at [[Alcalá de Henares]] between 7:00 and 7:10. A [[Renault Kangoo]] van was found parked outside the station at Alcalá de Henares containing [[detonator]]s, audio tapes with [[Qur'an]]ic verses, and [[mobile phone|cell phones]].<ref name="Pin">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A64633-2004Mar16?language=printer|title=Spain Campaigned to Pin Blame on ETA|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=17 March 2004|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208214749/http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A64633-2004Mar16?language=printer|archive-date=8 February 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The provincial chief of [[TEDAX]] (the [[bomb disposal]] experts of the Spanish police) declared on 12 July 2004 that damage in the trains could not be caused by dynamite, but by some type of military explosive, like [[Plastic explosive|C3]] or [[C-4 (explosive)|C4]].<ref>[http://www.libertaddigital.com/php3/noticia.php3?cpn=1276260669 Los] [[TEDAX]] revisaron "dos veces" todos los vagones del 11-M sin encontrar Goma 2 ni la mochila de Vallecas (Libertad Digital){{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060428045451/http://www.libertaddigital.com/php3/noticia.php3?cpn=1276260669|date=28 April 2006}}</ref> An unnamed source from the Aznar administration claimed that the explosive used in the attacks had been [[Titadine]] (used by ETA, and intercepted on its way to Madrid 11 days before).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040408005933/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/12/world/main605547.shtml CBS News: Madrid Massacre Probe Widens. Madrid, 11 March 2004] "The bombers used Titadine, a kind of compressed dynamite also found in a bomb-laden van intercepted last month as it headed for Madrid, a source at Aznar's office said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Officials blamed ETA then, too."</ref>

In March 2007, the [[TEDAX]] chief claimed that they knew that the unexploded explosive found in the Kangoo van was Goma-2 ECO the very day of the bombings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://videos.abc.es/informaciondecontenido.php?con=292|title=El 11M se supo que el explosivo era Goma 2 ECO|language=es|trans-title=The 11M learned that the explosive was Goma 2 ECO|newspaper=ABC|date=15 March 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209055526/http://videos.abc.es/informaciondecontenido.php?con=292|archive-date=9 December 2008}}</ref> He also asserted that "it is impossible to know" the components of the explosives that went off in the trains – though he later asserted that it was dynamite. The Judge Javier Gómez Bermúdez replied "I cannot understand" to these assertions.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/03/14/espana/1173863471.html|title=El ex jefe de Tedax reconoce que sus análisis dejaron 'interrogantes' sobre el explosivo|language=es|trans-title=The former head of Tedax acknowledges that his analysis left 'questions' about the explosive|newspaper=El Mundo|location=Spain|date=14 March 2007|access-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606085519/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/03/14/espana/1173863471.html|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Examination of unexploded devices===
A radio report mentioned a plastic explosive called "Special C". However, the government said that the explosive found in an unexploded device, discovered among bags thought to be victims' lost luggage, was the Spanish made Goma-2 ECO. The unexploded device contained {{convert|10|kg|abbr=on}} of explosive with {{convert|1|kg|abbr=on}} of nails and screws packed around it as [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|shrapnel]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/13/wrall13.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/03/13/ixnewstop.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012130717/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F03%2F13%2Fwrall13.xml&sSheet=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F03%2F13%2Fixnewstop.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 October 2007|title=News|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=15 March 2016|access-date=4 August 2021}}</ref> In the aftermath of the attacks, however, the chief coroner alleged that no shrapnel was found in any of the victims.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://libertaddigital.com/noticias/kw/11-m/11m/kw/noticia_1276321976.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715072643/http://libertaddigital.com/noticias/kw/11-m/11m/kw/noticia_1276321976.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 July 2012|title=Ni clavos, ni tuercas, ni tornillos; no había metralla entre nuestros 191 muertos|publisher=Libertaddigital.com|access-date=5 May 2011}}</ref>

Goma-2 ECO was never before used by al-Qaeda, but the explosive and the modus operandi were described by ''The Independent'' as [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]] trademarks, although the ''Daily Telegraph'' came to the opposite conclusion.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081206162943/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040316/ai_n12773616 Madrid: The Aftermath: Spain admits bombs were the work of Islamists] "For the first time in its history al-Qa'ida has used not the cheap and primitive fertiliser-based bombs familiar in attacks from Yemen to Istanbul, but Goma 2 ECO gelignite, detonated by mobile phones. This sophisticated twin technique has previously been the trademark of ETA, the Basque separatist group."{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Two bombs, one in [[Madrid Atocha railway station|Atocha]] and another in [[El Pozo]] stations, numbers 11 and 12, were detonated accidentally by the [[TEDAX]]. According to the provincial chief of the TEDAX, deactivated rucksacks contained some other type of explosive. The 13th bomb, which was transferred to a police station, contained dynamite, although it did not explode because it was missing two wires connecting the explosives to the detonator. That bomb used a mobile phone ([[Mitsubishi]] Trium) as a timer, requiring a [[Subscriber Identity Module|SIM]] card to activate the alarm and thereby detonate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2004/03/12/espana/1079063793.html|title=elmundo.es - La Policía encuentra una decimotercera mochila bomba en la comisaría de Puente de Vallecas|website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref> The analysis of the SIM card allowed the police to arrest an alleged perpetrator. On 13 March, when three Moroccans and two [[Pakistani people|Pakistani]] Muslims<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2004/03/18/enespecial/1079606797.html|title=elmundo.es - Continúan declarando los cinco primeros detenidos por su relación con el 11-M|website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref><ref>[http://www.libertaddigital.com/php3/opi_desa.php3?cpn=26565 Libertad digital, los enigmas del 11-M ] 6. Las primeras detenciones ''Las detenciones de los hindúes''</ref> were arrested for the attacks, it was confirmed that the attacks came from an Islamist group.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2004/03/13/espana/1079203531.html|title=elmundo.es - Al Qaeda reivindica los atentados en un vídeo hallado en Madrid|website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref> Only one of the five persons (the Moroccan Jamal Zougam) detained that day was finally prosecuted.<ref name="auto1"/>

The [[Guardia Civil]] developed an extensive action plan to monitor records corresponding with the use of weapons and explosives. There were 166,000 inspections conducted throughout the country between March 2004 and November 2004. About 2,500 violations were discovered and over 3 tons of explosives, 11 kilometers of detonating cord, and over 15,000 detonators were seized.<ref>(Reinares, 2009, 377)</ref>

===Suicide of suspects===
[[File:Vivienda en Leganes destruida por los terroristas - 2004.JPG|thumb|Damaged building in [[Leganés]] where the four terrorists died]]

On 3 April 2004, in [[Leganés]], south Madrid, four terrorists died in an apparent suicide explosion, killing one [[Grupo Especial de Operaciones]] (GEO) (Spanish special police assault unit) police officer and wounding eleven policemen. According to witnesses and media, between five and eight suspects escaped that day.<ref name="suspects">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3560603.stm|title=Madrid bombing suspects|work=BBC News|date=10 March 2005|access-date=31 October 2007}}</ref>

Security forces carried out a controlled explosion of a suspicious package found near the Atocha station and subsequently deactivated the two undetonated devices on the Téllez train. A third unexploded device was later brought from the station at El Pozo to a police station in Vallecas, and became a central piece of evidence for the investigation. It appears that the El Pozo bomb failed to detonate because a cell-phone alarm used to trigger the bomb was set 12 hours late.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ghosh|first=Aparisim|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2050314,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215033836/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2050314,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 December 2011|title=A Strike at Europe's Heart|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=14 March 2004|access-date=5 May 2011}}</ref>

===Conspiracy theories===
Sectors of the [[Popular Party (Spain)|People's Party]] (PP), and certain media, such as ''[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]]'' newspaper and the [[Cadena COPE|COPE]] radio station,<ref name="revenge">[http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict-madridprevention/11-M_3341.jsp Spain's 11-M and the right's revenge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523172137/http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict-madridprevention/11-M_3341.jsp |date=23 May 2008 }} (Open Democracy)</ref> continue to support theories relating the attack to a vast conspiracy to remove the governing party from power. Support for the conspiracy was also given by the [[Asociación de Víctimas del Terrorismo]] (AVT), Spain's largest association of victims of terrorism.

These theories speculate that [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]] and members of the security forces and national and foreign (Moroccan) secret services were involved in the bombings.<ref name="Herald">[https://archive.today/20060320002153/http://www.spainherald.com/2005-03-30news.html Zaplana claims PSOE "afraid that the truth will come out"], ''[[The Spain Herald]]'', 30 March 2005. Recovered from the [[Internet Archive]].</ref><ref name="agujeros">[http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2004/04/19/enespecial/1082356558.html Los agujeros negros del 11-M] ''El Mundo'', 19 April 2004. Article defending a number of conspiracy theories related to the bombings.</ref> Defenders of the claims that ETA participated in some form in the 11 March attacks have affirmed that there is circumstantial evidence linking the Islamic extremists with two ETA members who were detained while driving the outskirts of Madrid in a van containing 500&nbsp;kg of explosives 11 days before the train bombings.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/police-identify-train-bombers-756814.html Madrid: The Aftermath: Spain admits bombs were the work of Islamists] "Connections have also been drawn between the drivers of a van found on the outskirts of Madrid on 29 February containing 500&nbsp;kg of explosive and the Islamists: the two men in the van are alleged to be members of ETA, and also to have been among a group of Basques who expressed strong support for Iraq against the Anglo-American invasion. But so far the evidence does not go beyond the circumstantial." Retrieved 1 September 2009. [https://web.archive.org/web/20091122033649/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/police-identify-train-bombers-756814.html Archived] 4 September 2009.</ref> The Madrid judge Coro Cillán continued to hear conspiracy theory cases, including one accusing government officials of ordering the scrapping of the bombed train cars in order to destroy evidence.<ref>''El País'' 31 January 2012 edition (Madrid newspaper)</ref>

===Invasion of Iraq policy===
The public seemed convinced that the Madrid Bombings were a result of the Aznar government's alignment with the U.S. and its invasion of Iraq. Before the attack, the incumbent Popular Party led the polls by 5 percent. It is believed that the [[People's Party (Spain)|Popular Party]] would have won the election if it had not been for the terrorist attack. The [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|Socialist Party]], led by [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]], ended up winning the election by 5%. The Socialist Party had called for the removal of Spanish troops from Iraq during its campaigning. Rodríguez Zapatero promised to remove Spanish troops by 30 June 2004, and the troops were withdrawn a month earlier than expected. Twenty-eight percent of voters said that the bombings influenced their opinions and vote. An estimated 1 million voters switched their vote to the Socialist Party after the Madrid bombings. These voters who switched their votes were no longer willing to support the Popular Party's stance on war policy. The bombings also influenced 1,700,000{{Additional citation needed||date=August 2024}}  citizens to vote who did not plan on originally voting. On the other hand, the terrorist attacks discouraged 300,000 people from voting. Overall, there was a net 4 percent increase in voter turnout.<ref>(Abrahms 2007, p. 186)</ref>

===Trial===
Judge [[Juan del Olmo]] found "local cells of Islamic extremists inspired through the Internet" guilty for the 11 March attacks,<ref name="auto"/> rather than the [[Armed Islamic Group]] or the [[Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group]]. These local cells consisted of [[hashish]] traffickers of Moroccan origin, remotely linked to an al-Qaeda cell that had been already captured. These groups bought the explosives (dynamite [[Goma-2]] ECO) from low-level thieves, police and [[Guardia Civil]] informers in [[Asturias]] using money from the small-scale drug trafficking.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Crumley |first=Bruce |url=http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/printout/0,13155,901050321-1037617,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820033039/http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/printout/0,13155,901050321-1037617,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 August 2008 |title=Across the Divide |magazine=Time |date=13 March 2005 |access-date=5 May 2011}}</ref>

According to ''El Mundo'', "the notes found on the Moroccan informer 'Cartagena' prove that the Police had the leaders of the cell responsible for the 11 March attacks under surveillance." However, none of the notes refer to the preparation of any terrorist attack.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2005/05/31/espana/1117506519.html|title=Las notas del confidente marroquí 'Cartagena' prueban que la Policía controlaba a la cúpula del 11-M - españa - elmundo.es|website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref>

The trial of 29 defendants began on 15 February 2007. According to ''El País'', "the Court dismantled one by one all conspiracy theories" and demonstrated that any link with or involvement in the bombings by ETA was either misleading or groundless. During the trial the defendants retracted their previous statements and denied any involvement.<ref>[http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Comienza/Madrid/juicio/mayor/atentado/islamista/registrado/Europa/elpepunac/20070215elpepinac_2/Tes Comienza en Madrid el juicio por el mayor atentado islamista registrado en Europa], ''[[El País]]'', 15 February 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/02/20/espana/1171974513.html?a=29e6aa4aa61d574e1a804dbf6c382fa2&t=1171986094 El Morabit niega ahora haber sido avisado de los atentados del 11-M], ''[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]]'', 20 February 2007</ref><ref name="mastermind">
"Madrid bombing 'mastermind' protests innocence", 15 February 2007, 1:59&nbsp;pm ET [[Agence France-Presse]], [http://www.mywire.com/a/AFP//2808563?extID=10051 MyWire.com]</ref> According to ''El Mundo'' the questions of "by whom, why, when and where the Madrid train attacks were planned" are still "unanswered", because the alleged masterminds of the attacks were acquitted. ''El Mundo'' also claimed — among other misgivings<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/10/31/espana/1193864074.html|title=Irak, Zougam, ETA, el explosivo... y otras claves de la sentencia del 11-M |website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/10/31/espana/1193830716.html|title=El 11-M se queda sin autores intelectuales al quedar absueltos los tres acusados de serlo |website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/10/30/espana/1193750868.html|title=Guía para abordar la sentencia del 11-M |website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref> — that the Spanish judiciary reached "scientifically unsound" conclusions about the kind of explosives used in the trains,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/11/01/espana/1193885319.html|title=El final del principio en la investigación del 11-M |website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref> and that no direct al-Qaeda link was found, thus "debunking the key argument of the official version".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/11/05/espana/1194233049.html|title=El tribunal del 11-M desbarata la tesis clave de la versión oficial en su sentencia |website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref> Anthropologist [[Scott Atran]] described the Madrid trial as "a complete farce" stating that "There isn't the slightest bit of evidence of any operational relationship with al-Qaida". Instead, "The overwhelming majority of [terrorist cells] in Europe have nothing to do with al-Qaida other than a vague relationship of ideology."<ref name="multiref4"/>

Though the trial proceeded smoothly in its opening months, 14 of the 29 defendants began a [[hunger strike]] in May, protesting against the allegedly "unfair" role of political parties and media in the legal proceedings. Judge Javier Gómez Bermúdez refused to suspend the trial despite the strike, and the hunger strikers ended their fast on 21 May.<ref>[http://www.madrid11.net/articles/11mtrial290507 The Madrid bombing trial blog] Madrid11.net{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The last hearing of the trial was held on 2 July 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.datadiar.tv/juicio11m/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216013223/http://www.datadiar.tv/juicio11m/|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2007|title=Transcripts and videos of the Madrid trial|publisher=Datadiar.tv|access-date=5 May 2011}}</ref>

On 31 October 2007, the [[Audiencia Nacional of Spain]] handed down its judgements. Of the 28 defendants in the trial, 21 were found guilty on a range of charges from forgery to murder. Two of the defendants were sentenced each to more than 40,000 years in prison.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL308491320071031| title=Court finds 21 guilty of Madrid bombings|work=Reuters|date=31 October 2007|access-date=31 October 2007|author=Jane Barrett}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=James Sturcke|url=https://www.theguardian.com/spain/article/0,,2202390,00.html|title=List of sentenced defendants|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London, UK|access-date=5 May 2011|date=31 October 2007}}</ref>

====Jamal Zougam====
'''Jamal Zougam''' (born 5 October 1973) is one the men convicted in the bombings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3515790.stm|title=Jamal Zougam: Madrid bomb suspect|publisher=BBC|date=18 March 2004|accessdate=1 November 2007}}</ref> He was detained on 13 March 2004, accused of multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, stealing a vehicle, belonging to a terrorist organisation and four counts of carrying out terrorist acts. Spain's ''[[El País]]'' newspaper reported that three witnesses testified to seeing him leave a rucksack aboard one of the bombed trains, specifically, the one that exploded at Santa Eugenia station. Born in Morocco, Zougam owned a mobile phone shop in the Lavapiés neighborhood in Madrid called ''Nuevo Siglo'' (''The New Century''). He is believed to be the person who sold telephones which were used to detonate the bombs in the attack.<ref name="guardian_jailed">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/spain/article/0,,2202754,00.html|title = Mass murderers jailed for 40 years as judge delivers verdicts on Spain's 9/11|work=The Guardian|date=1 November 2007|accessdate=1 November 2007|location=London|first=Paul|last=Hamilos}}</ref> He also reportedly helped construct the bombs<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/spain/article/0,2763,1170380,00.html|title=Six Moroccans suspected of Madrid attacks|work=The Guardian|date=16 March 2004|accessdate=1 November 2007|location=London|first=George|last=Wright}}</ref> and was one of the first to be arrested.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4600967.stm|title=Madrid suspect heard in 9/11 case|publisher=BBC|date=1 June 2005|accessdate=1 November 2007}}</ref>

On 31 October 2007, he was convicted of 191 charges of murder and 1,856 charges of attempted murder, and received a sentence of 42,922 years in confinement.<ref name="guardian_jailed"/> A Spaniard, Emilio Suárez Trashorras, who supplied dynamite in return for drugs – was sentenced to 34,715 years.<ref name="guardian_jailed"/>

==Police surveillance and informants==
In the investigations carried out to find out what went wrong in the security services, many individual instances of negligence and miscoordination between different branches of the police were found. The group dealing with Islamist extremists was very small and in spite of having carried out some surveillances, they were unable to stop the bombings. Also, some of the criminals involved in the "Little Mafia" who provided the explosives were police [[informants]] and had leaked to their case officers some tips that were not followed up on.

Some of the alleged perpetrators of the bombing were reportedly under surveillance by the Spanish police since 2001.<ref>[http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/03/0fb57c1f-eff9-4308-b8e3-f184ca84452e.html "Spain: State Funeral For Madrid Bombing Victims Gathers World Leaders"] [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]: "The main suspect remains Moroccan Jamal Zougam, who allegedly had close ties to Islamist militants and who has been under watch by Spanish, French, and Moroccan agents since 2001"</ref><ref>[http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_budget_story_skin/419295 "Spanish investigators confident"]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012145604/http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_budget_story_skin/419295|date=12 October 2007}} "The lead suspect is Jamal Zougam, who allegedly has close ties with Islamist militants and has been under watch by Spanish, French and Moroccan agents since 2001 at least."</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.es/20070321/nacional-nacional/juicio-sigue-centrado-pruebas_200703210640.html|title=Un inspector asegura que perseguían a varios de los acusados desde enero de 2003|language=es|newspaper=ABC|date=21 March 2007|trans-title=An inspector assures that several accused were being pursued since January 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925035240/http://www.abc.es/20070321/nacional-nacional/juicio-sigue-centrado-pruebas_200703210640.html|archive-date=25 September 2007}}</ref>

At the time of the Madrid bombings, Spain was well equipped with internal security structures that were, for the most part, effective in the fight against terrorism. It became evident that there were coordination issues between police forces as well as within each of them. The Interior Ministry focused on correcting these weaknesses. It was Spain's goal to strengthen its police intelligence in order to deal with the risks and threats of international terrorism. This decision for the National Police and the [[Guardia Civil]] to strengthen their counter-terrorism services, led to an increase in jobs aimed at preventing and fighting global terrorism. Counter-terrorism services increased its employment by nearly 35% during the legislature. Human resources in external information services, dealing with international terrorism, grew by 72% in the National Police force and 22% in the [[Guardia Civil]].<ref>(Reinares, 2009, 371)</ref>

==Controversies==
{{Main|Controversies about the 2004 Madrid train bombings}}
The authorship of the bombings remains a controversial issue in Spain. Sectors of the Partido Popular (PP) and some of the PP-friendly media outlets (primarily ''El Mundo'' and the [[Libertad Digital]] radio station) claim that there are inconsistencies and contradictions in the Spanish judicial investigation.

As Spanish and international investigations continue to claim the unlikeliness of ETA's active implication, these claims have shifted from direct accusations involving the Basque separatist organisation<ref>[http://www.elmundo.es/papel/2005/12/12/espana/1901374.html El Mundo]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012162422/http://www.elmundo.es/papel/2005/12/12/espana/1901374.html|date=12 October 2007}}</ref> to less specific insinuations and general scepticism.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/06/12/espana/1181678226.html |title=Las tesis poco claras de la fiscalía en sus conclusiones sobre el 11-M |website=El Mundo}}</ref>
Additionally, there is controversy over the events that took place between the bombings and the general elections held three days later.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/spain/article/0,,1873054,00.html|title=Newspaper spat over Madrid bombs 'conspiracy'|author=Giles Tremlett|date=15 September 2006|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/gaffney/gaffney200505181246.asp|title=Spanish Terrogate |publisher=[[National Review]]|website=nationalreview.com}}</ref>

==Reactions==
{{Main|Reactions to the 2004 Madrid train bombings}}
In the aftermath of the bombings, there were massive street demonstrations across Spain to protest against the train bombings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/03/12/spain.blasts/index.html|title=Bombs were Spanish-made explosives {{!}} Millions pack Madrid's streets|publisher=CNN|date=13 March 2004}}</ref>
Two people died in political violence about the ETA controversy.<ref name="Saiz">{{cite news |last1=Saiz |first1=Rodrigo |title=Veinte años del asesinato de Ángel Berrueta en Pamplona, víctima indirecta del 11M: "Eres un etarra" |url=https://www.eldiario.es/navarra/veinte-anos-asesinato-angel-berrueta-pamplona-victima-indirecta-11m-etarra_1_11000567.html |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=elDiario.es |date=12 March 2024 |language=es}}</ref>
The international reaction was also notable, as the scale of the attack became clearer.

==Memorial service for victims==
A memorial service for the victims of this incident was held on 25 March 2004 at the [[Almudena Cathedral]]. It was attended by King [[Juan Carlos I of Spain|Juan Carlos I]], Queen [[Queen Sofía of Spain|Sofía]], the victims' families, and representatives from numerous other countries, including British prime minister [[Tony Blair]], French president [[Jacques Chirac]], German chancellor [[Gerhard Schröder]], and U.S. Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sciolino |first1=Elaine |title=World Leaders Converge in Spain to Mourn Bomb Victims |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/25/world/world-leaders-converge-in-spain-to-mourn-bomb-victims.html |access-date=27 August 2020 |work=The New York Times|date=25 March 2004}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Spain|Trains}}

===Specifically about the 2004 Madrid bombings===
* [[Atocha station memorial]]
* [[Brandon Mayfield]], wrongfully identified via fingerprints
* [[Controversies about the 2004 Madrid train bombings]]
* [[Forest of Remembrance]]
* [[Reactions to the 2004 Madrid train bombings]]
* [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]]
* [[2004 Madrid train bombings suspects]]
* [[Rabei Osman]]

===Other===
* [[List of terrorist incidents involving railway systems]]
* [[2000 Madrid bombing]]
* [[February 2004 Moscow Metro bombing]], a very similar attack barely five weeks before.
* [[2006 Madrid–Barajas Airport bombing]]
* [[11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings]]
* [[7 July 2005 London bombings]]
* [[21 July 2005 London bombings]]
* [[2006 German train bombing attempts]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
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==External links==
{{Commons category|2004 Madrid train bombings}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/europe/2004/madrid_train_attacks/default.stm BBC News In Depth]
* [https://www.elespanol.com/espana/20190322/castillo-mohamed-vi-kilometros-paris-denuncia-villarejo/384962743_0.html Was the attempt plotted in Mohammed VI's Château?]
* [[s:UN Security Council Resolution 1530|U.N. Security Council Resolution 1530]]

{{2004 Madrid train bombings}}
{{Islamic terrorism in Europe}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Madrid Train Bombings, 2004}}
[[Category:2004 Madrid train bombings| ]]
[[Category:2004 in rail transport]]
[[Category:2004 murders in Spain]]
[[Category:2004 in Madrid|2004 train bombings]]
[[Category:21st-century mass murder in Spain]]
[[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Madrid|2004 train bombings]]
[[Category:Attacks on railway stations in Europe]]
[[Category:Filmed improvised explosive device bombings]]
[[Category:Improvised explosive device bombings in 2004]]
[[Category:Improvised explosive device bombings in Madrid|2004 train bombings]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorism in Spain]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2004]]
[[Category:March 2004 crimes]]
[[Category:March 2004 events in Spain]]
[[Category:Mass murder in 2004]]
[[Category:Mass murder in Madrid|2004 train bombings]]
[[Category:Massacres in Spain]]
[[Category:Attacks in which Poles died]]
[[Category:Rail transport in the Community of Madrid|2004 train bombings]]
[[Category:Train bombings in Europe]]
[[Category:2004 disasters in Spain]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Europe in 2004]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Spain in the 2000s]]
[[Category:Opposition to the Iraq War]]