2004 March 11th- Spain, Madrid: during Thursday morning rush hour at 7.39 seven explosions hit the Atocha train station in the heart of the Spanish capital. Four bombs exploded on an approaching train approximately 500 yards outside the station (62 deaths), three others on a train inside the station (34 deaths). Atocha train station connects long distance inter-city, commuter, and subway trains.

Simultaneous blasts took place in a train at 7.42 a.m. at the Santa Eugenia station (1 explosion - 17 deaths) and at 6.41 a.m. in a double-decker train at the El Pozo station (2 explosions - 70 deaths).

At least 198 people died, more than 1,400 were injured.

Also on March 11, a stolen van filled with detonators and an Arabic tape containing verses of the Koran, was found in Alcala de Henares, near Madrid, where three of the four bombed trains originated, and the fourth train had stopped. A statement was e-mailed soon after the discovery to the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi. It claimed that Spain has been targeted by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades on behalf of al-Qaeda as "one of the pillars of the crusade alliance".

Spain's government has initially blamed the Basque separatist group ETA for the attacks which come ahead of Sunday's elections. WE think it might be doubtful that Eta is behind the attacks since the simultaneous attacks carried out without warning would mark an unprecedented increase of violence. In the past ETA has often issued a warning before the detonation and never attacked on such scale. In the past, simple car bombings have been the favorite tactic of the ETA.