Confusion reigned in the Spanish press this morning as they tried to pinpoint those responsible for yesterday's terrorist attacks in Madrid that left 198 people dead and more than 1400 injured, Luke Cassidyreports.
El Mundoreflected the mood of the Spanish dailies when it asked "Eta or al-Qaeda?". The answer to which could hold the key to the Spanish general election on Sunday.
If ETA is held responsible, it seems likely to play towards the ruling People's Party which has made the fight against the Basque terrorist group its main concern over its last eight years in office. However, should al-Qaeda be found responsible, the Spanish government could pay heavily for its staunch support of the US President's "war on terror".
El Pais
El Paisled with the headline "Aznar insists no line of investigation into the attacks on Madrid will be discarded", but the paper follows closely with reaction from other political leaders demanding to know who was behind the attacks.
It quotes the president of the Basque parliament, Mr Juan José Ibarretxe, as saying "the families of the victims have the right to know who caused this barbarity.
"Everything we know, the Spanish people will know!" El Mundoquotes Mr Aznar as saying as the row between the government and opposition leaders continued.
ABCalso reflected the doubts over who was responsible on its front page with the headline "Confusion after van is found with detonators and tape of the Koran".
However, in its editorial entitled "With Spain, with the constitution, with the victims", it puts the blame squarely on ETA. "Bullets and bombs kill, yes, but words, arguments and plans also fuel the terrorists. It's time for loyalty to the constitution, without doubts or conditions," the editorial says.
"ETA doesset the agenda of this country and the arguments of its politicians. It should do, because there are more than 100 dead in Madrid and no democratic society should not have the right to react as a brutal tragedy like this befits," it concludes.