Bomb found on Spain train track

By Tracy Wilkinson and Cristina Mateo-Yanguas
Los Angeles Times

	PAUL WHITE / AP Civil guards patrol a section of railway tracks near the spot where a bomb was found underneath the bullet line near Madrid, Spain.
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MADRID — Spanish authorities averted potential disaster yesterday when they dismantled a bomb on the Madrid-Seville bullet train track, a discovery that sent shudders through a public still reeling from train bombings 22 days ago that killed 191 people.

The incident paralyzed much of Spain's heavily used train system just as millions of Spaniards were heading into Holy Week holidays, which began yesterday. Trains and passengers were stranded in stations from Madrid to the provinces while police searched for additional explosives. About 1,600 passengers left their trains and were taken to their destinations by charter buses, according to The Associated Press.

The discovery of the bomb raised the specter of a sustained campaign by extremists far more deadly than anything Spain has seen. In Istanbul, Turkey, for example, similar bombings on Nov. 15 that killed and wounded dozens of people were followed five days later by an even bloodier attack.

No other bombs were found in sweeps of the railways. Spain said it would deploy its army, helicopters, sniffer dogs and police to guard the train network.

Interior Minister Angel Acebes revealed the discovery of the bomb at a news conference.

On March 11, 10 bombs left in backpacks and rigged to cellphones ripped through four crowded commuter trains within minutes of each other. More than 1,800 people were injured, and the ruling party fell in elections three days later, partly because of voter anger over the bombings and the government's handling of the investigation.

Members of the new Socialist-dominated parliament elected in the vote were installed yesterday in a ceremony overshadowed by the defused bomb and the ensuing railway havoc.

Two law enforcement officials said investigators are focusing on the same network now blamed for the March massacre: a group of mostly Moroccan extremists with ties to al-Qaida.

Six alleged members of the Moroccan group, including its purported leader, Tunisian national Sarhane Abdelmajid Fakhet, remain at large. Spanish authorities issued international arrest warrants for the six this week and said they believe the suspects have probably fled. A total of 14 people, 10 of them Moroccan, are in custody and charged with participation in the planning or execution of the attacks or aiding the attackers.

The bomb found yesterday underneath the bullet line 40 miles south of Madrid consisted of about 24 pounds of explosive, concealed in a shopping bag with a 450-foot cable leading to a detonator, Acebes said. A railway worker spotted a suspicious package and called police.
 
Acebes said the explosive material appeared to be the same as the one used in the March 11 attacks. However, the device lacked an initiator, such as a cellular telephone or other trigger, he said. Investigators believe the person or persons who planted the bomb were probably startled and left before finishing the job.

No train was near the site when the bomb was discovered, officials with the state rail company told The Associated Press.

Although the bomb did not go off, the psychological effect was enormous as it revived fears that were only beginning to ease following last month's attacks.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Wilkinson reported from Rome and special correspondent Mateo-Yanguas from Madrid. Times staff writer Sebastian Rotella in Paris contributed to this report.

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