Millions of Spaniards are expected to take to the streets of cities and towns across the country this evening in a mass display of anger and contempt for those behind yesterday's terrorist outrage in Madrid, reports Jane Walker from Madrid.
The death toll stood at 192 last night but an extraordinary number of other people - 1,421 - were wounded, some critically, and the toll is expect to rise further. It was Europe's worst terrorist incident since the Lockerbie PanAm bombing in 1988 in which 270 people were murdered.
Yesterday, many in Spain compared the Madrid outrage to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. Spanish newspapers said that March 11th 2004 was Spain's 9/11. But while Spanish officials and ministers were quick to blame Eta, the Basque separatist organisation, there were growing doubts last night.
Thirty kilometres from Madrid near the station at Alcala de Henares, where two men seen getting on and off four trains early yesterday morning are now suspected of being bombers, a van, stolen at the end of February, was found last night. It contained seven detonators and a tape in Arabic of verses from the Koran. Shortly after, a London-based Arabic newspaper, al-Quds al-Arabi, said it had received a letter, purporting to come from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, claiming responsibility for the outrage.
"We have succeeded in infiltrating the heart of crusader Europe and struck one of the bases of the crusader alliance," said the letter which called the attacks Operation Death Trains. Spain was a strong supporter of the US over the war in Iraq. There was no way of authenticating the letter, which also claimed that a "big attack" on America was "90 per cent ready".
"We bring the good news to Muslims of the world that the expected 'Winds of Black Death' strike against America is now in its final stage . . . 90 per cent \ and God willing near," the letter said.
It bore the signature Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, named after a close associate of bin Laden killed during the Tora Bora bombing offensive against al-Qaeda positions in the Hindu Kush mountains in eastern Afghanistan in October 2001.
Al-Quds al-Arabi received similar letters from the same brigade claiming responsibility on behalf of al-Qaeda for a November bombing of two synagogues in Turkey and the August bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.
Despite the confusion over who was behind the attacks, Spain's interior minister said Eta remained the chief suspect, although no suspect was ruled out.
"The conclusion of this morning that pointed to the terrorist organisation [Eta] right now is still the main line of investigation . . . \ I have given the security forces instructions not to rule out anything," said Mr Angel Acebes.
No warning preceded the attacks which ripped through three commuter trains, one at Madrid's main Atocha station, the other two at suburban stops further down the line. The 13 bombs, each containing 10 to 12 kilos of explosive and 10 of which went off, inflicted catastrophic injuries on those closest to them.
Carriages were torn open, roofs and doors were ripped apart and windows punched out. Bodies and body parts were strewn about the tracks and nearby buildings damaged. Fire brigades, ambulance crews and hospitals struggled to cope. There were appeals for blood donors.
The Prime Minister, Mr José María Aznar, stopped campaigning for Sunday's general election but said the poll would still be held. He declared three days of mourning and called for mass protests this evening. Last night, thousands of people rallied in Bilbao, the Basque capital. At least a million are expected in Madrid today.
King Juan Carlos, in a rare address to Spaniards last night appeared angry and denounced the outrage.
He said those responsible were "vile, cowardly murderers". He told viewers: "Your king is suffering with you."