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| Europe |
| Details about the al-Qaeda video found in the Madrid rubble |
| 2004-04-14 |
| Islamists, believed responsible for the March 11 bombings in Madrid, threatened further attacks even after the new Spanish government takes over next week because of anger over the presence of Spanish troops in Afghanistan, Spain’s interior ministry said on Tuesday. A video tape recorded by the three suspected masterminds of the Madrid train bombings shortly before they and four other accomplices blew themselves up to avoid capture by police indicated that more attacks were planned after the Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is sworn in next week. "After determining that the situation has not changed and that your new government launched its mandate by a crackdown against Muslims and the dispatching of additional troops to Afghanistan, the Ansar al-Qaeda and death brigades have decided to follow the path of Jihad and resistance," the suspects said in their recorded video message, a transcript of which was released by the ministry. The video showed three armed, masked men, one of whom read out a statement containing the ultimatum in the name of "the Al Mufti and Ansar al-Qaeda brigades". The videotape, demanding the "immediate" withdrawal of Spanish troops from "Muslim lands"-a reference to the US-led forces in Iraq and Afghanistan-was found in the ruins of the apartment where the seven Islamic militants committed collective suicide.According to the transcript, the Islamists gave the Spanish government a one-week ultimatum to withdraw its troops from "Muslim bases immediately and unconditionally" or face Jihad. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
#8 From a complete translation by John at Iberian Notes [hattip, Tim Blair]:"... brigade located in Al-Andalus has decided not to leave here until your troops leave their Muslim bases immediately and unconditionally. If you do not do so within a week from today, we will continue our jihad until martyrdom in the land of Tarek Ben Ziyad."And who is Tarek Ben Ziyad? In this comment "Pep" explains: " The terrorists are referring to Tariq Ben Ziyad, who defeated the last Goth King in Spain in year 711 in the battle of Guadalete, after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. His victory was the starting point of the muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula which would last 7 centuries, until in 1492 the Catholic Kings captured the last stronghold of the muslims, Granada..." Not too far wrong, raptor! |
| Posted by: Old Grouch 2004-04-14 4:44:17 PM |
| #7 :-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-04-14 4:36:59 PM |
| #6 Still interested in appeasing them? |
| Posted by: The Doctor 2004-04-14 4:17:11 PM |
| #5 Hey, somebody throws a softball right over the plate............ |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-04-14 12:55:30 PM |
| #4 saw that one coming from afar, Steve-o |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-04-14 11:47:36 AM |
| #3 "All your base belong to us!" |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-04-14 11:38:37 AM |
| #2 a one-week ultimatum to withdraw its troops from Muslim bases Notice that they didn't refer to Iraq and Afghanistan as Muslim counties, but rather as Muslim bases. . |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-04-14 8:46:50 AM |
| #1 So when do the Spainiards get thier eviction notice to vacate Spain? After all Spain was,at one time,a Moslem land. |
| Posted by: raptor 2004-04-14 7:10:42 AM |