INTRODUCTION

OnMarch11,2004thirteenterroristsattackedtheMadridcommuterrailsystemby
1 detonatingtenbackpackbombs,killing191peopleandwounding1,741. Theattackwas

thelargestinEuropeanhistorysinceWWII,withtheexceptionofthe1988bombingof PanAmFlight103overLockerbie,Scotland,andtookplaceamerethreedaysbefore generalelectionsinSpain.TherulingPopularPartyledbySpanishPrimeMinisterJose MariaAznarinitiallyblamedtheattackonETA,theBasqueseparatistgroupresponsible formorethan800deathssinceitsfoundingin1959.However,theinvestigationquickly

2 ledpolicetoconcludethatthebombingsweretheworkofIslamicextremists.

Thisconclusionwascementedadaybeforetheelectionwhenavideowasreleased,in whichamancallinghimselfAbuDujanaalAfghani,thespokesmanforalQaedain Europeclaimedresponsibilityforthebombingsandstatedthattheywereretaliation againstSpanishmilitaryparticipationinthewarsinIraqandAfghanistan.Thedecision tocommittroopstotheIraqwarhadbeenhugelyunpopularwiththeSpanishpublicand thenextdaySpanishvotersturnedoutinrecordnumberstovoteAznarsPopularParty outofoffice.TheSpanishSocialistWorkersPartywonanditscandidateforPrime Minister,JoseLuisRodriguezZapateroimmediatelyannouncedhisintentiontopull

3 SpanishtroopsoutofIraq. ManyanalystsandobserversconcludedthatalQaedawas

behindtheattackandthatithadbeentimedtocoincidewiththeSpanishelectionwiththe intentionofunseatingthePopularPartyandforcingSpanishtroopsoutofIraq.Inthis thesisIwillexaminetheevidencerelatedtotheattackandassesstheveracityofthis conclusion.

AlGoodman,Madridbombings:Indictmentssoon, CNN, 5March2006,accessedMarch5,2006from http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/03/05/madrid.bombings/index.html 2 LawrenceWright,TheTerrorWeb,TheNewYorker,26July2004,1 4,accessedAugust21,2005, from http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/040802fa_fact 3 Ibid.

CHAPTER1 THEATTACK

AttackTimeline On March10,2004morethanadozenmengatheredatafarmhouseinChinchon,atown situated45kilometerssoutheastofMadrid.Themen,allofwhomwereArabandmost ofwhomwereMoroccanspenttheafternoonassemblingthirteenbombs.Eachofthe bombscontained10.1kilogramsofGoma2Eco,aplasticexplosivemanufacturedin Spain,acopperdetonatorandwassurroundedbynailsandscrews,whichwouldserveas shrapnel.Thedetonatorofeachbombwasconnectedtotheexplosiveandalsotoacell phone,whosealarmfeaturewouldbeusedtotriggertheexplosion.Eachofthebombs wasthenplacedinablue,clothduffelbag.Thatnight,themendidnotsleep.They stayedupprayinganddiscussingtheirmission,whichtheyhadrehearsedseveraltimes. Thenextday,thirteenofthemwouldcarryoutwhattheyhopedwouldbethefirstof severalattacksthatwouldcontinueuntiltheyranoutofexplosives.4 Thethirteenmen were:AnwarAsrihRifaat,DaoudOuhnane,AbdennabiKounjaa,AllekemaLamari, MohammedHaddad,FouadElMorabit,MohamedOulad,RashidOulad,SaidBerraj,and JamalZougman.

At5:30thenextmorning,Thursday,March11,2004,themenclimbedintothreecars anddrovetowardsAlacadeHenares,avillagejustoutsideoftheSpanishcapitalof Madrid.Intheleadvehicle,awhiteRenaultvan,themenlistenedtothethirdSuraofthe Quran,whichcontainsGodsinstructionsforupbraidingthosewhodonotacceptthe prophecyofMuhammad.5 Saytothedisbelievers,Youwillbedefeatedanddriven

6 togetherintoHell,afoulrestingplace. ThemenarrivedatAlacadeHenaresaboutan

hourlaterandwalkedtowardthetownstrainstation.Oncethere,theymadetheirway towardstheplatformsandwaitedwithothercommutersforthetrainsthatwouldtake

JoseMariaIrujo,ElAgujero:EspanaInvadidaporlaYihad (Madrid:Aguilar,2005),291. DanielBenjaminandStevenSimon, TheNextAttack:TheFailureoftheWaronTerrorandaStrategy forGettingItRight (NewYork:HenryHoltandCompany,2005),3. 6 TheQuran.Sura3:12

5

themintoMadrid.Eachofthemencarriedaduffelbagcontainingoneofthethirteen bombsthattheyhadpreparedthedaybefore.

At7:01AM,train21431lefttheAlacadeHenarestrainstationwithfourofthethirteen menonboardandheadedtowardsAtochastation,oneofMadridstwomainrailhubs. Eachofthefourmensatondifferentcars,nearthedoorandplacedtheirbombladen

7 duffelbagsundertheseat. Thealarmfeatureofthecellphones,whichwouldtriggerthe

explosions,hadbeensettogooffatthescheduledarrivaltimeattheAtochatrainstation. Theplacementofthebombsnearthedoorswasdonewiththeintentionofkillingthe passengersonthetrainaswellasthecommuterswaitingontheplatformsatAtocha,

8 therebymaximizingthedeathtoll. At7:04AM,train17305leftAlacadeHenareswith 9 fourmoremenheadedtowardsAtocha. At7:10AM,train21435departedwithanother 10 fourmanteam. Thefourmanteamsontrains17305and21435wereseatedjustlike 11 theteamontrain21431,nearthedoor,duffelbagsundertheseats,ondifferentcars. 12 Train21713leftat7:14AMwiththelastofthethirteenmenonboard.

Themenonthefourtrainsgotoffatvariousstopsduringthenexttwentyminutes.The firstofthefourtrainsarrivedatAtochastationat7:39AM.Aspassengersbegantofile outofthetrain,bombsdetonatedonthefourth,fifthandsixthcarsoftrain21431,killing

13 dozensofpeopleandwoundingscoresmore. Almostsimultaneously,bombswentoff 14 incarsone,four,fiveandsixoftrain17305,just500metersoutsideofAtochastation.

Thetrainwasrunningtwominuteslate,explainingwhyitdetonatedbeforeitreachedthe trainstation.Investigatorsbelievethatthebombersintendedtohavethebombsonboth
15 trainsdetonateinsideAtochastation. AccordingtoSpanishauthorities,detonationof

7 8

BenjaminandSimon, TheNextAttack,4. Irujo,ElAgujero,296. 9 Ibid. 10 11March2004Madridtrainbombings, Wikipedia,accessedSeptember26,2005,from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_11,_2004_Madrid_attacks 11 BenjaminandSimon, TheNextAttack,4. 12 Irujo,ElAgujero,296. 13 Madridattackstimeline, BBCNews,12March2004,accessedSeptember7,2005,from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3504912.stm 14 Irujo,ElAgujero,298. 15 Madridattackstimeline, BBCNews

thebombsinsideAtochawouldprobablyhavecausedpartoftheoldstationtocollapse,
16 perhapskillingthousandsofcommuters. At7:41AM,twobombsexplodedoncars

fourandfiveaboardtrain21435asitpassedthroughElPozodelTioRaimundostation, killing70people.Oneminutelaterthelastbombblewupontrain21713insideofthe
17 SantaEugeniarailstation.

191peoplewerekilledinthefourblastzonesand1,741wounded.Theattackwasthe mostdevastatingactofterrorisminEuropeanhistory,exceptforthe1988bombingof
18 PamAmFlight103overLockerbie,Scotland. Thescale,complexityand

synchronization oftheattacksuggestedthatithadbeencarriedoutbyalQaeda. Althoughthetargetsoftheattackwereconfinedtoanareaoflessthantensquaremiles, theterroristshadmanagedtosetofftenbombswithinaspanofthreeminutesan

19 unprecedentedterroristfeat. Theattackalsohadsymbolicimportanceduetoitsdate

andnumberoftargets.ThebombingsoccurredonMarch11,2004911daysafterthe September11,2001attacksonNewYorkandWashingtonDC.The911hijackersflew fourplanesintotheirtargets,theMadridterroristsbombedfourtrains.Theattacksalso occurredjustthreedaysbeforenationalelectionsinSpain,scheduledforSunday,March 14.

PoliticalAftermathandPreliminaryInvestigation Aftertheyreceivednewsoftheattacks,theSpanishPrimeMinisterandleaderofthe PopularParty,JoseMariaAznarandthePopularPartyscandidatetosucceedhim, MarianoRajoyceasedallcampaigningactivities.JoseLuisRodriguezZapatero,the oppositioncandidateforPrimeMinisterfromtheSocialistWorkersPartyfollowedsuit.

20 Atthetime,AznarsPopularPartyledinthepollsbyfourandahalfpoints. As

emergencyreliefworkersandinvestigatorsfloodedthebombingsites,politicians scrambledtoexplainwhathadhappened.

16 17

LorenzoVidino, AlQaedainEurope (Amherst:PrometheusBooks,2006),293. Madridattackstimeline, BBCNews 18 Wright,TheTerrorWeb1. 19 BenjaminandSimon, TheNextAttack,5. 20 Wright,TheTerrorWeb,1.

JoseMariaAznarandhisInteriorMinister,AngelAcebesblamedtheattackonETA almostimmediately.At1:30PMAcebesdeclaredthatwiththetrainbombings,ETA
21 hadachieveditsobjectives. ThatsameafternoonAznarinstructedtheSpanish 22 delegationattheU.N.tointroducearesolutioncondemningtheattacks. U.N.

Resolution1530passedunanimouslyandincludedlanguage,whichcondemnsinthe strongesttermsthebombattacksinMadrid,Spain,perpetratedbytheterroristgroup
23 ETAon11March2004. ForeignMinisterAnaPalaciosentoutadispatchtoall

Spanishambassadorsrequestingthattheytakeadvantageofanyoccasionsthatpresent
24 themselvestoconfirmETAsresponsibilityforthesebrutalattacks.

AznarsreflexiveinclinationtoblameETA,theBasqueseparatistgroupresponsiblefor morethan800deathsinSpainsince1959,washistoricallywellfoundedandalsodueto
25 personalanimosity. AznarnarrowlyescapedanETAcarbombin1995andhadmade

theeliminationofETAhisbiggestpriority.Althoughhehadbeenlargelysuccessfulin thisendeavor,itwasfearedthattheremnantsofETAwereplanningaretaliatorystrike againstatargetinMadrid.SpanishpolicehadarrestedtwoETAoperativesforplanting backpackbombsontrainsthepreviousChristmasEveandinFebruary2004,theCivil Guardinterceptedavan,drivenbyETAmembers,headedforMadridwitheleven

26 hundredpoundsofexplosives.

AlthoughETAappearedtobethelogicalsuspectbasedonpasthistory,theattacks characteristicsprovidedreasonstodoubtETAsinvolvement.ETAhadalmost exclusivelytargetedpoliticians,securityofficialsandjournalists,eschewingmass

27 casualtyattacksandattacksagainstworkingclassSpaniards. ETAhadalsomadea

habitofprecedingitsattackswithtelephonedwarningstotheauthorities.Inaddition,
21 22

Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,294. Ibid. 23 UnitedNations,Threatstointernationalpeaceandsecuritycausedbyterroristacts, UNSecurity CouncilResolution1530,11March2004,accessedJanuary9,2006,from http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/267/18/PDF/N0426718.pdf?OpenElement 24 AparismGhoshandJamesGraff,AStrikeAtEuropesHeart, TimeEurope,22March2004,4, accessedJanuary9,2006,from http://www.time.com/time/europe/html/040322/story.html?cnn=yes 25 Wright,TheTerrorWeb,1. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid.

interceptedphonecallsbetweenknownETAmembersimmediatelyfollowingtheattacks
28 revealedtheirlevelofsurpriseandcalledtheirinvolvementintoquestion.

Withinhoursoftheattackpolicebegantogatherevidencethatsuggestedtheperpetrators wereIslamicterrorists,notBasqueseparatists.At10:50AM,aresidentofAlacade HenaresalertedSpanishsecurityservicestothepresenceofanabandonedwhiteRenault Kangoovanparkedacrossfromthestation,theoriginationpointofallofthebombed trains.Thevanwasimpoundedandafewhourslater,investigatorsdiscoveredaplastic bagcontainingsevendetonatorsunderthepassengerseatandatapeofQuranic

29 recitationsofthethirdSurainthevanscassetteplayer. ThateveningAznarrelayed

newsofthevananditscontentstoZapatero,theoppositionleaderandtheeditorsof
30 Spainsmainnewspapers,whilecontinuingtoinsistthat,ETAisbehindtheattacks.

SpanishpoliticalanalystsbelievedthatwidespreadangertowardsETAbythepublic wouldbenefitAznarsPopularParty,whichwaswellknownfortakingahardline againsttheBasqueseparatistgroup.OpponentschargedthatAznardeliberately downplayedevidencepointingtoIslamicterroristswhilecontinuingtoblameETAfor

31 politicalgain.

Thecasebrokeopenthenextmorningwhenapoliceofficer,searchingthewreckageof thetrainattheElPozostation,discoveredablueduffelbagcontaininganunexploded bomb,whichcontained10.1kilogramsofplasticexplosiveand640gramsofscrewsand nails.ThecopperdetonatorwasconnectedtoaMotorolamobilephone,whosealarm featurehadbeensetto7:40AM.Thedetonatorsmatchedtheonesthatinvestigatorshad

32 discoveredintheRenaultKangoovanthepreviousday. Analysisoftheexplosivebya

crimelabrevealedthatitwasGoma2Eco,aSpanishbrandofplasticexplosiveusedby
33 miners. Thisinformationwaskeptsecretasinvestigatorsattemptedtotracktheowner

28 29

Wright,TheTerrorWeb,2. Vidno, AlQaedainEurope,294. 30 Wright,TheTerrorWeb,2. 31 AparismandGraff,AStrikeAtEuropesHeart,4. 32 Irujo,ElAgujero,327. 33 Ibid.

34 ofthephone,usingitsSIMcard. Duringthistime,ETAspokesmendeniedthegroups 35 involvementinthetrainbombings,whileAznarsgovernmentcontinuedtoblameit.

Spanishcitizensheldvigilsandprotestedthebombings,whilepreparingforthegeneral nationalelections,whichwereduetotakeplaceonSunday,March14.

OnMarch13,policetracedtheSIMcardtoashop,ownedbytwoIndianimmigrants, locatedintheMadridneighborhoodofAlcoron.AfterquestioningthetwoIndians, policedeterminedthattheSIMcardtheyfoundwaspartofabatchof30SIMcardssold toJamalZougman,aMoroccanimmigrantwhoranaphoneshopintheneighborhoodof

36 Lavapies. ZougmanwaswellknowntopoliceforhislinkstoIslamicfundamentalists

andwasarrestedalongwithtwootherMoroccansworkingwithhimattheshop:
37 MohammedBakkaliandMohamedChaoui. InteriorMinisterAcebesannouncedthe

arrestsofZougman,Bakkali,ChaouiandthetwoIndians,whilestatingthatpoliceare
38 continuingtoworkonallfronts. ZougmanslinkstoIslamicfundamentalistswere

quicklyspreadbythemedia,promptingmorethanthreethousandprotestorstogatherin
39 frontofgovernmentheadquartersanddemandthetruthbeforegoingtovote.

At7:38thateveningananonymousphonecallwasplacedtoTelemadrid,alocalTV station,statingthattherewasavideotaperelatedtothebombingsinthetrashbinoutside oftheM30mosqueinMadrid.Policearrivedanhourlater,retrievedthetapeandtookit

40 backtoheadquarterstoanalyze. Themanonthetape,believedtobeYoussef 41 Belhadj ,identifiedhimselfasAbuDujanaalAfghani,themilitaryspokesmanforal

34 35

Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,295. JohnDaly,TheMadridBombings:SpainasaJihadHighwaytoWesternEurope, TheJamestown Foundation,16March2004,accessedJanuary9,2006,from http://www.jamestown.org/news_details.php?news_id=36 36 Irujo,ElAgujero,327 338. 37 Ibid. 38 AparismandGraff,AStrikeAtEuropesHeart,2. 39 Vidino,AlQaedainEurope,296. 40 Irujo,ElAgujero,327 338. 41 Belhadj,aMoroccanandsuspectedmemberoftheMoroccanIslamicCombatGroup,wasarrestedon February1,2005inBelgiumattherequestofSpanishJudgedelOlmoandisbelievedtobeAbuDujanaal Afghani.HeallegedlytraveledtoMadridfromhisresidenceinBelgiumattheendof2003tomeetwith Fakhetandothermembersofthecell.SpanishdailydetailsroleofYoussefBelhadjinMadridbomb attack, BBCWorldwideMonitoring,28February2005,accessedfromLexisNexisAcademicUniverseon November15,2005

QaedainEurope.Hewasdressedinwhiteburialrobes,wearingglassesandholdinga submachineguninhisrighthandashespokeinArabicwithaMoroccanaccent.We declareourresponsibilityfortheattacksinMadrid,occurringtwoandahalfyearsafter theattacksinNewYorkandWashington.Itisaresponsetoyouralliancewiththe terroristBushandhisallies.Thisisaresponsetothekillingofwomenandchildrenin IraqandAfghanistanbyBushandhisallies.Ifyoudonotceaseyourunjustmurdering ofMuslims,whichyoucallthewaronterror,we willdestroyyourhomesandcauseyour

42 bloodtoflowlikerivers.Wearepreparedtofillyourheartswithterror.

ThereleaseofexcerptsfromthevideobytheInteriorMinistryonSaturdayeveninghad devastatingconsequencesforAznarsPopularPartyandthecandidateslatedtosucceed himasPrimeMinister,MarianoRajoy.ThetapemadeitcleartomostSpaniardsthat Islamicterroristshadcommittedtheattacks,whichdiscreditedthegovernmentsearlier claimslinkingETAtothebombings.Furthermore,thetapesauthorstatedthatthe attackswereinresponsetoSpainsparticipationinthewarsinAfghanistanandIraq. Thispointwasespeciallycrucial,giventhat90%ofSpaniardsopposedAznarsdecision

43 tocontribute1,300troopstotheAmericanled,Iraqwar. However,thisdecisionhad

carriedfewcoststotheSpanishpeopleandasaresultAznarspoliticalstandinghadnot
44 suffered. BytheearlyhoursofSundaymorningmorethan5,000demonstratorshad

gatherednearAtochastation.Mostwerefueledbyfrustrationatthegovernments
45 dubioushandlingofinformation,whilesomeblameditforprovokingtheattack.

Yesterday,weweremarchinginmourning.Tonightitsoutofrevulsionatthepolitics thatproducedthisterrorism,saidFranciscoRodriguez,amiddleagedinsurancefirm employee.IholdthegovernmentresponsibleforthedeathsonThursdaybecausewe

46 wentouttosupportanunjustwar.

42 43

Irujo,ElAgujero,339 342. DominicBailey,SpainVotesunderashadow,BBCNews,14March2004,accessedJanuary9,2006, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3509744.stm 44 BenjaminandSimon, TheNextAttack,5. 45 AparismandGraff,AStrikeAtEuropesHeart,4. 46 Ibid.

TheelectionofSunday,March14tookplaceunderextremelytenseconditions.Aznars PopularPartyhadbeenexpectedtowinacomfortablevictory,butnowithadbecomea
47 targetofangerandfrustrationformanySpanishvoters. TheElPozotrainstation,

wheretwoofthebombshadexplodedwascoveredingraffitithatreadAznarkillerand whenMarianoRajoy,AznarswouldbesuccessorwenttohisMadridpollingstationhe wasconfrontedbyvoterswhocalledhimaliaranddemandedthatheGetourtroops

48 outofIraq! Arecordseventysevenpercentoftheelectoratevotedeightpercent 49 morethanhadvotedinthepreviouselection. ThebeneficiarywastheSpanishSocialist

WorkersPartyanditscandidateforPrimeMinister,JoseLuisRodriguezZapatero.After declaringvictory,ZapaterocondemnedthewarinIraqandreiteratedhisintentionto
50 withdrawSpanishtroops.

47 48

Bailey,SpainVotesunderashadow Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,296. 49 Wright,TheTerrorWeb,5. 50 Ibid.

CHAPTER2 THEINVESTIGATION

PolicereceivedabreakinthecaseonMarch16,whenaninformantnamedRafaZouhier calledhiscontact,Victor,attheCentralOperationsUnitandtoldhimthatherecognized thephotosofJamalZougmanthathadbeeninthenews.Infact,Rafa,aMoroccan immigrant,wasamemberofthecellthatcarriedouttheattack.Thenextday,hemet withVictorandexplainedthathehadputJamalAhmidan,anotherMoroccanmemberof thecellincontactwithaformeremployeeofMinaConchita,EmilioSuarezTrashorras,

51 whoprovidedtheexplosivesusedintherailwaybombings. Thenextdaypolice

arrestedRafaZouhierandEmilioSuarezTrashorrasandbeganinterrogatingthem.From theretheinvestigationpickedupandbytheendofMarchalmosttwentypeople connectedtothebombingshadbeenarrested,includingtwoofthethirteenbombers.52 Afterhearingofthearrestsoftheircomrades,theremainingmembersofthecelldecided toabandonthefarmatChinchonandmovetheirbaseofoperationstoaflatat40Martin GaiteinLeganes,asuburbabout30minutessouthofMadrid.Theyhaddecidedto

53 continuetheirjihaduntiltheywerecapturedorkilled.

At11AMonApril2asecurityguardfortheAVE,Spainshighspeedtrainline,noticed ablueplasticbagsittingnexttothetraintracksfortymilessouthofMadrid.Thebag containedtwentysixpoundsofGoma2Eco,thesametypeofexplosivesusedinthe

54 March11bombings . Theexplosiveswereconnectedtoadetonatorby450feetof

cable,butlackedatriggeringmechanism,suggestingthatthoseresponsiblehadbeen
55 scaredoffbeforetheycouldfinishplantingthebomb. Justthreedaysearlier,workers

hadsurprisedagroupofmendiggingaholeonalengthofAVEtraintrack,connecting MadridtoLerida.ThemenfledimmediatelyandSpanishauthoritiesbelievethatthe

51 52

Irujo,ElAgujero,343 348. Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,302. 53 Irujo,ElAgujero,349 351. 54 Wright,TheTerrorWeb,5. 55 RaillinebombmatchesMadrid, BBC News,3April2004,accessedSeptember7,2005from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3596455.stm

10

56 March11bomberswerebehindbothincidents. Thissuspicionwasconfirmedwhenthe

conservativeMadridnewspaper,ABC,receivedahandwrittenfaxfromAbuDujanaat 6:05PMonApril3.Thefaxedstatementassertedthatthebombfoundontherailway wasmeanttodemonstrateourpowerandcapability,withthepermissionofAllah,to attackyouwhenandhowwewant.ThefaxwentontodemandthatSpainwithdrawall

57 ofitstroopsfromIraqandAfghanistanbythefollowingSunday. Thisthreatseemsto

bearesponsetoZapaterospostelectiondecisiontodoublethenumberofSpanishtroops inAfghanistanandkeeptroopsinIraqiftheywereplacedunderUNcommandbyJune 30,2004.Zapateroannouncedthesedecisionsaftercomingunderfireforappeasingthe

58 terrorists.

Thatsameday,Spanishpoliceweretippedofftothelocationoftheterroristsinthe
59 Leganesflat. Policearrivedattheflaton40MartinGaiteat5PMandasthey

approached,cellmemberAbdelmajidBouchar,whowastakingoutthetrash,spotted them.Ashefled,heyelledoutinArabictowarnhiscomrades,whobeganrakingthe courtyardwithmachinegunfire.Thepolicecalledforbackupandthirtyminuteslater policehelicoptersandanadditional300policemenhadarrivedatthescene.Using

60 megaphones,thepoliceinstructedtheresidentstoleavetheapartmentbuilding.

Therewereseventerroristsintheapartment:JamalAhmidan,SarhaneAbdelmajid Fakhet,MohamedandRashidOulad,AbdennabiKounjaa,ArishRifaat,andAllekema Lamari.By7PM,theyhaddecidedthattheywoulddiefighting.Sarhanecalledhis

61 motherat7:15PMandtoldher,Imgoingtodie,mother.Goodbye. JamalAhmidan

calledhismother,withwhomhehadnotspokeninmonthsandsaid,Mom,forgiveme
62 ifIhavedonewrong.Todayismylastday.IamgoingtodieItisthewillofGod.

Threeoftheotherterroristsplacedsimilarcalls,allofwhichwereinterceptedbySpanish
56 57

Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,303. Wright,TheTerrorWeb,8. 58 Europepolitics:Thehuntforterrorists, EconomistInformationUnitViewsWire,9April2004,accessed February3,2006fromABI/INFORMGlobalDatabase 59 BenjaminandSimon, TheNextAttack,13. 60 Irujo,ElAgujero,356 359. 61 Ibid.,360. 62 Ibid.,361.

11

intelligenceagentsonthescene.Theywarnedthepoliceonthegroundtobeprepared fortheworst.Afterclearingtheapartmentbuildingofitsresidents,policebeganthe assaultat9:03PM.Aspoliceentered,theterrorists,whowerehuddledtogetherand wearingexplosivebeltssetoffanexplosionthatkilledallsevenofthemandonepolice

63 officer. Policerecoveredandreconstructedfragmentsofavideotapefromthe

apartmentrubble,whichcontainedFakhetsfinalstatementinwhichhepledgedto
64 continuethejihadinSpainunlessSpanishtroopswithdrewfromIraqwithinaweek.

PolicedetainedFouadMorabitAmgharonApril6andduringasearch ofhisapartment theydiscoveredanelectronicnotebookcontaininganItaliancellphonenumber,which matchedaphonenumberthatwasfoundinthebelongingsoftwooftheterroristswho

65 hadblownthemselvesuponApril3. ThenumberbelongedtoRabei OsmanSayed

Ahmed,anallegedmemberofEgyptianIslamicJihad,whohadrecentlymovedtoMilan afterresidinginMadridsince2001.Hehadearnedadegreeinelectronicsandservedfor
66 fiveyearsintheEgyptianarmyasanexplosivesexpert. JudgeJuan DelOlmowrotea

warrantforAhmedsarrest,buttheItalianantiterroristunit,DIGOS,heldoffon arrestinghimandputAhmedundersurveillanceinstead.

Ahmedwaslivingon16ChiasseiriStreetinMilanandoftenprayedattheViaQuaranta mosqueortheIslamicCulturalInstitute.OneFridaywhenhewenttopray,Italianagents
67 enteredAhmedsapartmentandplantedlisteningdevices. Italianpolicewerealso

tracinghiscallsandonMay24,2004theyinterceptedaphonecallbetweenAhmedand an unidentifiedMoroccanlivinginBelgium,namedMuradthatimplicatedAhmeds involvementintheMadridbombings:

Ahmed:Youknowwhathappenedthere,Idontwanttomentionthecountry. Murad:Yes,yes. Ahmed:Andyouknowthewholegroup. Murad:Yes. Ahmed:Thegroup,yousawit? Murad:Whathappenedtotheboysthere?Whathappenedtothem?
63 64

Ibid.,360 363 Wright,TheTerrorWeb,9. 65 Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,302. 66 Ibid.,315. 67 Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,311.

12

Ahmed:YouknowMurad,youknowthenewsTheboys,ourfriends,theywere behindtheproblemsthere. Murad:Theywerebehind? Ahmed:Theywerebehindthewhole time,Sarhaneandthebrothers,andeverybody!My brother! Murad:OhGod! Ahmed:Fouad[Amghar]andeverybody Murad:Whathappenedtothem? Ahmed:TheywenttoGod! 68 Murad:OhGod!

OnMay26,policeoverheardaconversationAhmedwashavingwithhis23yearold Palestinianroommate,Yahia,whohewaspreparingtobecomeasuicidebomberinIraq. AhmedwastellingYahiaaboutthenecessityofjihadwhenheloweredhisvoiceand said,ThereisonethingthatIamnotgoingtohidefromyou:theattackinMadridwas myprojectandthosewhoweremartyredweremymostbelovedfriendsIamthe threadofMadrid.WhenthedeedhappenedIwasntthere,butIlltellyouthetruth,

th beforetheoperation,onthe4 ,IhadcontactswiththemIgoaroundalone,they 69 workedinagroup. TheItalianpolicehadheardenoughandonJune5theyarrested

Ahmed.Ashewasbeingarrestedhedeclaredhispleasurethatthegovernmentofthe dogAznarhadfallen.ThankGodwehaveeliminatedAznar.Madridisalessonfor
70 Europe,thatithastounderstandthatitshouldmoveawayfromtheAmericans.

SpanishauthoritiesbelievetheevidenceagainstAhmedissubstantial,butareconvinced thathewasnotthesolemastermindoftheattack.AmerAzizi,thesuspectedleaderof theMoroccanIslamicCombatGroup,isthoughttohaveplayedaroleinplanningthe

71 attack. HisfingerprintswerefoundatthefarmhouseinChinconandaccordingtoa

Spanishofficial,Aziziwasthebrains,hewasthelinkbetweentheMoroccansandthe
72 restofalQaeda. AseniorSpanishinvestigatortoldtheLATimesTherearepeople

whohaveseenAziziinSpainaftertheattacks.Itlookslikehecamebackandmayhave directedtheothers.Ifhewashere,hisbackgroundwouldmakeitlikelythathewasthe
68 69

Ibid.,311 312. Irujo,ElAgujero,369 372. 70 Ibid.,373 71 PaulHavenandChrisTomlinson,AlQaedasnewguard, Washington Times,15June2004,accessed January20,2006from http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/200406151008222072r.htm 72 Vidino,AlQaedainEurope,320 321.

13

topguy.Wehavereliablewitnessaccountsthathewashereinsignificantplaces
73 connectedtotheplot.TheideaofAziziasaleaderhasbecomemoresolid. Sincethe

bombingstookplace,atotalof116suspects,mostofthemMoroccan,havebeencharged inconnectionwiththebombings.Only25ofthesesuspectsremaininprison,although JudgeJuandelOlmo,whohaspresidedovertheinvestigation,isexpectedtoannounce

74 theindictmentof30to40suspectsbytheendofMarch2006. Thefullextentofthe

networkbehindtheattackshasyettobedeterminedinpartbecausesevenofthekey
75 suspectskilledthemselves. However,itishopedthattheupcomingindictmentswill

revealmoredetails,includingtheidentityofthemastermindbehindtheattack.

73

SebastianRotella,AlQaedafugitivesoughtinbombings,LosAngelesTimes,14April2004,accessed March6,2006from http://www.spokesmanreview.com/pf.asp?date=041404&ID=s1509366 74 Goodman,Madridbombings:Indictmentssoon 75 EllinorShields,Oneyearon,Madridseeksanswers, BBCNews,11March2005,accessedSeptember 7,2005from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4334487.stm

14

CHAPTER3 ALQAEDALINKS

ManyhaveassertedthatalQaedawasbehindtheMarch11,2004Madridattackandin thisportionofmythesisIwillexaminethisclaim.InordertoassesswhetheralQaeda carriedouttheMadridattack,wemustfirstdefineanddescribealQaeda.Iwillusethe

76 descriptionofalQaedagivenbyBruceHoffman ,aterrorismexpertfromRand,during

histestimonybeforetheHouseInternationalRelationsCommittee,Subcommitteeon InternationalTerrorismandNonproliferationonSeptember29,2005.ThenIwill examinetheoriginsandcompositionofthecellthatcarriedouttheMach2004bombings inMadridandcomparethesefindingswiththecriteriausedbyHoffmantodefineal Qaeda,asitexiststoday.

DescriptionofalQaeda Hoffmanassertsthatbefore9/11alQaedawasaunitaryorganizationwithaphysical base,infrastructureandabureaucracy.However,since9/11andtheUSinvasionof AfghanistanalQaedahasbeentransformedintoanideologythatreflectsitsnameand originalmission thebaseofoperationorfoundationormoreappropriately

77 thepreceptormethod. HoffmandescribesalQaedaas,anetworkedtransnational

constituencyratherthanthemonolithic,internationalterroristorganizationwithan identifiablecommandandcontrolapparatusandarguesthatseveralalQaedasexist
78 today. AlQaedaexistsmoreasanideologythathasbecomeavastinternational

franchisewithlikemindedlocalrepresentatives,looselyconnectedtoacentral

76

HoffmansdescriptionofalQaedaisconsistentwiththedescriptiongivenbyGustavoAristegui,a memberofSpainsParliamentandfrequentlecturerontheMiddleEastandterrorism,toLawrenceWright oftheNewYorkerinTheTerrorWeb,26July2004.JasonBurke,theauthorofAlQaeda:Castinga shadowofterrorandchiefreporterfortheObserver,wherehewritesaboutalQaeda,terrorismandthe MiddleEast,providesasimilardescriptionofalQaeda,whichiscitedinIrujosbook,ElAgujero. 77 BruceHoffman,DoesOurCounterTerrorismStrategyMatchtheThreat?Testimony presentedbeforetheHouseInternationalRelationsCommittee,SubcommitteeonInternationalTerrorism andNonproliferationonSeptember29,2005,RandCorporationTestimonySeries,2005,3,accessedon January25,2006,from http://www.rand.org/pubs/testimonies/2005/RAND_CT2501.pdf 78 Ibid.,4.

15

ideologicalormotivationalbase,butadvancingtheremainingcentersgoalsatonce
79 simultaneouslyandindependentlyofeachother.

Hoffmandescribeswhathesaysarethefourdistinct,butnotmutuallyexclusive dimensionsofalQaeda:alQaedaCentral,alQaedaAffiliatesandAssociates,alQaeda
80 Locals,andalQaedaNetwork. AlQaedaCentralcomprisestheremnantsofthepre

9/11alQaedaorganization.Thesearethemostdedicated,committedandabsolutely
81 reliableelementofthemovement. Theseprofessionalterroristsaretheonesentrusted

tocarryoutspectacularattackssuchasthe1998EastAfricaembassybombingsandthe 9/11attacks.Previouspatternssuggestthattheseprofessionalterroristsaredeployedin predeterminedandcarefullyselectedteamsthathavebeenprovidedwithveryspecific

82 targetinginstructions.

ThegroupHoffmancallsalQaedaAffiliatesandAssociatesincludesformally establishedinsurgentgroupswhohavereceivedmoney andtrainingfrombinLadenand alQaeda.ThesegroupswouldincludeZarqawisalQaedainMesopotamia,Salafist GroupforCallandCombat,andthevariousKashmirigroupsbasedinPakistansuchas JaisheMohammed.BinLadenhopedtounitetheselocalgroupstohiscauseofglobal jihadandsoughttousethemtocarryoutattacksathisbehestandtoprovidelogistical

83 supportforattacksbytheprofessionalterroristsofalQaedaCentral.

ThecategoryHoffmantermsAlQaedaLocalsisanamorphouscollectionofalQaeda loyalistswhohavepriorterrorismexperiencethatincludesbattlefieldexperiencein jihadistscampaignssuchasAlgeria,theBalkans,andChechnyaandtraininginapre9/11 alQaedatrainingcampthatwouldhaveresultedinsomedirectconnectionwithal

84 Qaeda. AlthoughtheircurrentrelationshipwithalQaedaCentralmaybetenuous,if

79 80

Ibid. Ibid. 81 Ibid. 82 Ibid.,5. 83 BruceHoffman,DoesOurCounterTerrorismStrategyMatchtheThreat,5. 84 Ibid.,6

16

notdormant,thedistinguishingcharacteristicofalQaedaLocalsisthatthereissome
85 previousconnection[with]somekindofalQaeda.

ThealQaedaNetworkconsistsofhomegrownIslamicradicalswhohavenodirect connectionwithalQaeda(oranyotheridentifiableterroristgroup),butnonethelessare preparedtocarryoutattacksinsolidaritywith,orsupportof,alQaedasradical jihadist

86 agenda. ThisgroupismotivatedbyanimositytowardstheirhostnationsandtheWest

andbyprofoundrageovertheUSinvasionandoccupationofIraqandbytheoppression ofMuslimsinplacessuchasPalestineandChechnya.Thisgroupincludesmembersof theMuslimDiasporalivinginEurope.Somearemarginalizedmembersofsociety, workinginmenialjobs,withlongcriminalrecordswhileothersmaybeeducatedand frommiddleclassbackground.Whattheywillhaveincommonisacombination ofa deepcommitmenttotheirfaith oftenrecentlyrediscoveredadmirationofbinLaden forthecatharticblowstruckagainstAmericaon9/11hatredoftheUSandtheWestand

87 aprofoundlysharedsenseofalienationfromtheirhostcountries.

CompositionofAbuDahdahCell HavingusedHoffmansdescriptionofalQaedaIwillnowdescribetheoriginsand compositionofthecellthatcarriedouttheMarch11bombings.Iwilltracethecreation ofaSpanishterroristcellduringthemid1990sthatconsistedofexperiencedjihadists andthendescribehowthemembersofthatcellwhosurvivedthepost9/11crackdownby Spanishpolicerecruitedandmobilizedagroupthatconsistedprimarilyofhomegrown radicalswhocarriedoutthetrainbombingsinMarch2004.Myprimarysourceforthis taskwillbe,ElAgujero:EspanaInvadidaporlaYihad(TheBlackHole:SpainInvaded byJihad),by JoseMariaIrujo,awriterfortheSpanishnewspaper,ElPais.

85 86

Ibid. Ibid. 87 Ibid.,6 8.

17

MustafaSetmarianNasar,a.k.a.AbuMusabalSuri,andAnwarAdnanMuhammad Saleh,a.k.a.ChejSalah,startedthefirstSpanishterrorcell.Nasarwasamemberofthe SyrianMuslimBrotherhoodandfledSyriaintheearly1980s,aftertheregimes crackdownonthefundamentalistgroup,andtraveledtoAfghanistan,wherehe

88 participatedinthejihadagainsttheSoviets. Nasardescribedhisaffiliationwithal

QaedainastatementissuedinDecember2004: IwashonoredtoparticipateintheAfghanjihadagainsttheRussiansandthe communistsuntilweexterminatedtheirforcesandloweredtheirflanksandmade anexampleoutofthem aswewillalsodowithAmerica,withthehelpofAllah 89 IwashonoredtobecomeacquaintedwithShaykhAbdullahAzzam ,andI workedwithhimduringthedaysoftheAfghanjihadin1987.Thenin1988,I washonoredbycomingtoknowShaykhUsama[BinLaden]Iwashonoredto becomeamemberofAlQaida,andIworkedwiththegroupuntil1992.During 90 thattime,ItraineditsfirstelitefightersandIwasaninstructoratitscamps. NasarmovedtoMadridinthemid1990sandacquiredSpanishcitizenshipthrough
91 marriage.HemovedtoLondonin1995andthentoAfghanistanin1998. Nasarfled

AfghanistanasU.S.forcesinvadedinlate2001andhiscurrentwhereaboutsare unknown.InNovember2004,U.S.SecretaryofStateColinPowellannouncedthe
92 postingofa$5millionrewardforinformationleadingtoNasarscapture.

DuringhisstayinSpain,NasarbefriendedafellowSyrianandmemberoftheMuslim Brotherhood,ImadEddinYarkas,a.k.a.AbuDahdahwhohadsettledinSpainin1987. NasartappedDahdahtorecruitandheadanalQaedasleepercellinMadrid.In1994 DahdahandChejSalahbeganproselytizingyoungMuslimmenoutsideoftheAbuBakr mosquein Madrid,distributingpropagandapamphletsfromgroupssuchasHamas,GIA, andIslamicJihad.DahdahandSalahrecruitedagroupofmostlySyriansandMoroccans thatwouldeventuallynumberapproximatelytwentymembers.DahdahandSalahbegan

88

LorenzoVidino,SuriStateofAffairs, NationalReviewOnline,21May2004,accessedSeptember11, 2005from http://www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.p?ref=/comment/vidino200405210939.asp 89 AbdullahAzzam,aPalestinianwasaprofessorandmentorofUsamabinLadeninSaudiArabiaandthe founderoftheBureauofServices,whichprovidedlogisticalsupporttothemujahideeninAfghanistan. BinLadentraveledtoAfghanistanin1980toassistAzzamwithhisworkintheBureauofServices. 90 EvanKohlmann,AbuMusabalSuriandhisPlanfortheDestructionofAmerica:DirtyBombsfora DirtyNation, GlobalTerrorAlert, accessedSeptember10,2005from http://www.globalterroralert.com/pdf/0705/abumusabalsuri.pdf 91 Irujo,ElAgujero,23 25. 92 Kohlmann,AbuMusabalSuriandhisPlanfortheDestructionofAmerica

18

sendingtherecruits,whoreferredtothemselvesastheSoldiersofAllah,tofightonthe
93 jihadistbattlefieldsofthattime:BosniaandChechnya. InJune1995,NasarleftMadrid 94 toliveinLondon,whereheworkedwithAbuQatada astheeditoroftheGIA

newsletter,AlAnsar.InOctober1995,ChejSalahleftMadridandmovedtoPeshawar, Pakistan,whereheservedasakeytalentscoutforalQaeda,sendingthemostpromising
95 recruitstoatrainingcampnearJalalabad,Afghanistan.

SpanishpoliceobtainedwarrantstoconductwiretapsandsurveillanceoftheAbuDahdah cellanddiscoveredthattheywereengagedinavarietyofcriminalactivitiesthatincluded creditcardtheft,sellingstolencars,andstealingbankaccountnumberstosupporttheir

96 lifestylesandtheirtravelstojihadistbattlegrounds. AftertheSoldiersreturnedfrom

thewarinBosnia,whichendedinDecember1995,Dahdahbegansendingthemto trainingcampsinAfghanistan,whichhecoordinatedthroughChejSalah.OnMay22, 1997SpanishpoliceinterceptedaphonecallduringwhichSalahassuredDahdahthathis youthswerebeingtakencareofbyAbuZubaydah,alQaedaschiefrecruiter,in

97 Afghanistan. Accordingtopolicesurveillance,Dahdahhadalargenetworkofcontacts

throughoutEuropeandtheMiddleEast,whomhevisitedfrequentlytocoordinatethe
98 travelandtrainingofhiscellmembersandotherjihadists. Dahdahalsocoordinated

fundraisingeffortswithintheMuslimcommunityinMadridforthejihadinChechnya. HeandSaidChedadi,ashopownerandmemberoftheSoldiersofAllahsolicitedfunds fromArabbusinessownersinMadridandthendeliveredthemtoAbuQatada,aradical

99 imam,whocoordinatedfundraisingeffortsfortheChechenjihadfromLondon.

93 94

Irujo,ElAgujero,23 30. AbuQatada,accusedofbeingOsamaBinLadensrighthandmaninEuropebySpanishjudge BaltasarGarzonisaradicalimamofPalestinianoriginswhowasgrantedasylumbyBritainin1994.Tapes ofQatadasfierysermons,callingforjihad,werefoundinMohammedAttasHamburgflatandheis allegedtohaveinspiredRichardReid,theshoebomberandZacariasMousouaiamongothers.Simon Jeffrey,Profile:AbuQatada,GuardianUnlimited,11August2005,accessedonAugust30,2005from http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,,1547225,00.html 95 Irujo,ElAgujero,23 30. 96 Ibid.,31 33. 97 Ibid.,38 40 98 Ibid. 99 Ibid.,64 65.

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AmerAziziwasthemostveteranmemberoftheSoldiersofAllahandemergedas Dahdahsrighthandman.AziziwasaMoroccanimmigrantwhohadobtainedSpanish
100 citizenshipthroughmarriageashadYarkasandmanyothercellmembers. Hewasa

jihadistglobetrotterwhohadfoughtinBosnia,trainedinAfghanistanandmaintained contactswithjihadistsonthreedifferentcontinentsviatheInternet.Azizitrainedatthe AfghancampofAbuYahyia,wherehundredsofotherMoroccanfundamentalists receivedtraining.Someofthegraduatesofthecampwouldlaterformthenucleusofthe

101 MoroccanIslamicCombatGroup ,whichSpanishpolicesayisledbyAziziand 102 responsibleforthe2003Casablancabombings. Aziziwasalsowellknownforhis

zealotry,whichhedisplayedonJune10,2000whenlocalArabdiplomatsshowedupat theM30mosqueforamemorialserviceforHafezalAssad,therecentlydeceasedSyrian leader.Aziziattackedthemformourningthedeathofanapostaterulerandyelled,

103 Whydoyoucometoprayforaninfidel?

LinksbetweenDahdahCellandMadridCell In2000,twonewassociatesofthecellbeganattractingtheattentionofSpanishpolice: JamalZougmanandSarhaneAbdelmajidFakhet.ZougmanwasborninTangier, MoroccoandhadlivedinSpainsince1983.Hewashandsome,likableandoneofthe morepopularyouthsamongtheMoroccancommunitylivinginMadrid.Heenjoyed alcohol,women,discotechsandseemedtobeperfectlyintegratedintoSpanish

104 society. AlthoughthereisnoevidencethatZougmantraveledabroadtofightortrain,

heappearstohavebeenactiveinfundraisingforvariousjihadistcauses.He accompaniedDahdahtoLondononatleastoneofhisseventeentripstodeliverfundsto supporttheMuslimfightersinChechnyaandwasintroducedtoAbuQatadaasagifted

105 youngrecruit. ZougmanalsomadefrequenttripstoMoroccotovisithisfatherand

onsomeofthesetripsheissaidtohavemetwithandofferedtoraisefundsfor
100 101

Ibid.,61 63. Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,321. 102 WrightTheTerrorWeb,8. 103 Irujo,ElAgujero,77 79. 104 Ibid.,64 65. 105 DavidWilliamsandNickCraven,Madridchiefsuspectvisited,LondonDailyMail,March17,2004, accessedonSeptember11,2005fromLexisNexisAcademicUniverse

20

MuhammadalFazazi,aMoroccanimamandspiritualleaderofSalafiaJihadiawhowas laterimprisonedinMoroccoforhisallegedroleinthe2003Casablancabombings. AccordingtoaSpanishwiretapfromAugust2001,ZougmantoldYarkas,Iwenttosee

106 FizaziandItoldhimthatifheneededmoneywecouldhelphimwithourbrothers.

ZougmanwasalsoacloseassociateoftheBenyaichbrothers:Abdullah,Abdelaziz,and Salahuddin,whowerefellownativesofTangier,veteransofChechnyaandBosnia,and membersofDahdahscell.AbdullahdiedfightingagainsttheAmericansinToraBorain

107 December2001 andAbdulaziz,whosharedaflatwithZougman,wasarrestedinSpain 108 inconnectionwiththe2003Casablancabombings. PoliceconsideredZougmana

marginalfigureandneverhadenoughevidencetochargehim withacrimealthoughit
109 wasclearthathehaddangeroustieswithanumberofwellknownjihadists.

SarhaneAbdelmajidFakhetwasanothernewcomerwhocaughttheattentionofSpanish policein2000.FakhetbeganfrequentingtheM30mosqueandassociatingwiththe SoldiersofAllah.Fakhet,aTunisian,wasworkingonaPhDineconomicsatthe AutonomousUniversityofMadrid,wherehehadbeenstudyingsince1994.Heearned goodgradesandwascleanercutthanmostofthemembersofDahdahscell.Fakhetwas frequentlyseenattheM30mosqueforthedawnprayersaftermakingtheHajjin1998 andbeganshowingsignsofextremismaccordingtoimamMoneirMahmoudelMessery. HeaskedMesseryanumberoftellingquestions,includingwhetherIslamsanctionedthe

110 useofforceagainstnonbelievers. MiguelPerezMartin,afellowstudentatthe

AutonomousUniversityofMadridalsonoticedadisturbingchangeinFakhetsbehavior. Atfirsthewasgraciousandengaging,saysMartin.Hegrewincommunicative,and hetoldme,sometimein1999or2000,thathewashavingapersonalcrisis.Hespent moreandmoretimeinthemosques,andsoonhewasntabletolistenanymore,onlyto

111 talkaboutIslamandthemiseryoftheworld. PolicebelievethatFakhetsextremism

106 107

Ibid. Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,300 301. 108 MarkTownsendandJohnHooper,Thesecretwar, Observer,21March2004,accessedSeptember11, 2005from http://observer.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4884830108959,00.html 109 Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,301. 110 Irujo,ElAgujero,182 186. 111 JamesGraff,TerrorsTracks,TimeEurope,19April2004,accessedMarch6,2006from http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901040419610023,00.html

21

wasalsoabyproductofhisfriendshipwithmembersofDahdahscell,includingAmer Azizi,whobefriendedFakhetaftermeetinghimattheweeklyQuranicrecitationclasses
112 heldattheM30mosquesIslamicCulturalCenter.

InJanuary2001RabeiOsmanSayedAhmedarrivedinMadridfromLeibach,Germany. FrenchauthoritiesdetainedAhmedin1999,ashetriedtoenterthecountryfrom Germanywithoutproperdocuments.TheFrenchhandedAhmedovertoGerman authorities,whoheldhimatacampinLeibachtoawaittheoutcomeofhisapplication

113 forasylum. AhmedwasgrantedtemporaryasylumandleftGermanyinJanuary2001.

AccordingtoSpanishpolicehewasamemberofEgyptianIslamicJihadandaformer memberoftheEgyptianarmy,whereheservedasanexplosivesexpert.Hebegan attendingFridayprayersattheM30mosque,wherehemadecontactwithandjoined

114 Dahdahscell.

DahdahsCellDestroyed InJune2001,MohammedBelfatmi,anAlgerianlivinginVilaseca,Spain,calledDahdah andsaid,IamabrotherofreligionYoushouldobtainthethingssoonThe

115 brothersareinahurry. Thenextmonth,MohammedAttaandRamziBinalshibh

wereinTarragona,SpainplanningthefinaldetailsoftheSeptember11attack.American andSpanishintelligenceofficialsbelievethatAttaandBinalshibhwerethebrothers
116 referredtoinBelfatmisconversationwithDahdah andthatheandAzizimayhave 117 coordinatedandbeenpresentatthemeetingwithAttaandBinalshibh. OnSeptember

5,2001DahdahreceivedaphonecallfromafrightenedJamalZougman,whohadjust returnedfromatriptoMoroccotofindthatthepolicehadsearchedhisapartment.The

112 113

Irujo,ElAgujero,60. Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,315 317. 114 Irujo,ElAgujero,84 86. 115 Ibid.,113 115 116 Ibid. 117 KatherineShrader,MoroccanmaylinkSept.11,Madridattacks, TheOrangeCountyRegister,23 January2005,accessedSeptember10,2005from http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/01/23/sections/news/focus_government/print_386221.php

22

policefoundAzizisphonenumberandwritingsinZougmansapartmentandvideosof
118 jihadinChechnyaandDagestan.

AftertheSeptember11attacksinWashingtonandNewYork,theintelligenceagencies ofEuropeandtheU.S.mettoshareintelligencerelatedtotheattacks.Duringthese meetingsSpanishintelligencediscoveredthatDahdahscellhadcontactswithmembers ofAttasHamburgcell.GermanpolicefoundDahdahsphonenumberintheapartment

119 ofSaidBahaji,oneofthecellmembersinHamburg andaccordingtotheFBI,Azizis 120 phonenumberwasfoundintheaddressbookofZacariasMoussaoui. Duringthesix

yearsthatSpanishpolicehadbeenobservingDahdahscell,theyhaddecidedtoholdoff onmakingarrestsunlessanattackseemedimminent,butinthewakeoftheSeptember11 attacksandtheevidence,linkingittosomeofthe9/11plotters,thepolicedecidedthatit

121 wastimetodestroyDahdahscell.

OnNovember13,2001SpanishpolicearrestedDahdahandtenothermembersofhis cell.AmerAziziwasastepaheadofthepoliceandhadescapedtoIranviaMilantwo weeksearlier.PolicefilledmorethanadozenbagswithradicalIslamicbooksandvideos ofjihadfoundinAzizisapartment.Basedonhisphonerecordsandhiscomputerhard drive,AzizispenthoursontheInternetporingoverradicalIslamictracts,downloading

122 pamphletsfromterroristgroupsandvideosofOsamabinLaden. TheescapeofAzizi

aside,SpanishpolicewereconfidentthattheyhadsmashedthealQaedapresenceintheir country.However,anumberoflesserknownfiguressuchasZougmanandFakhet,who hadbeeninfluencedbyDahdahandthehardcoremembersofhiscell,wereleftatlarge. ThearrestsofDahdahandhiscellhadlefttheminshockandleaderless,butintimethey andotherswouldcoalescearoundanewsetofleaders.

118 119

Irujo,ElAgujero,146 149. Ibid.,150 153. 120 K.JohnsonandDavidCrawford,MadridBombingSuspectIsKeyalQaedaLiasonAzizisLinksto AttacksOver3YearsSuggestBlastsWereCentrallyOrganized, TheWallStreetJournal,7April2004, sec.A,p.17.,accessedonJanuary22,2006fromABI/INFORMGlobalDatabase 121 Irujo,ElAgujero,162 164. 122 Ibid.

23

GenesisofMadridCellandPlot AmerAziziswifeandtwochildrenfledtoMorocco,wheretheyreceivedtheassistance ofMustafaMaymouni,theheadofSalafiaJihadiainMadridandacloseassociateof

123 DahdahandAzizi. MaymounifledtohisnativeMoroccointhewakeoftheSpanish

crackdown,butreturnedtoMadridin2002andralliedthemembersofDahdahscellwho hadnotbeenarrested,includingZougman,Ahmed,andMaymounisbrotherinlaw, Fakhet.Accordingtoa2005indictmentbySpanishjudgeBaltazarGarzon,Maymouni

124 wasinstructedbyAzizitocreateacellinMoroccoandacellinMadridin2002. In

ordertoprovidethegroupwithabaseofoperationsMaymounibeganrentinga farmhouseinChinchonfromthewifeofMohammedNeedlAcaid,amemberof DahdahscellwhohadbeenarrestedinNovember2001.Thefarmwassetofffromthe

125 roadandsurroundedbyasixfoottallprivacyfenceandseveraltrees.

Fakhet,whohadbecomeagreatdealmoreradicalizedfollowingDahdahsarrest, steppedupasaleaderandrecruiter.AmongthoseherecruitedwasJamalAhmidan,a nativeofTeutan,MoroccowhowentbythealiasYusefBenSalah.Afterarrivingin Europeintheearly1990s,Ahmidan,whodrankalcoholanduseddrugs,madealiving bytraffickinghashish.OnareturntriptoTeutanin2000,Ahmidanwasarrestedand

126 jailedforamurderhewasaccusedofcommittingin1993. Duringhisthreeyear

prisonsentence,AhmidanmetseveralveteransoftheAfghanjihad,whowererecruiting young,disaffectedmen.Ahmidanwasfascinatedbythemandembracedtheirradical
127 views. BythetimeAhmidanwasreleased,hewasachangedman.Heprayedthe

requiredfivetimesadayandspokeincessantlyaboutjihadandhisdesiretotraveltoIraq andfighttheAmericans.AlthoughAhmidanstoppeddrinkingandusingdrugsafterhis
128 releasefromprison,hecontinuedtoselldrugstononMuslims. Ahmidan,likemany

oftheothercellmemberswasanadherentofTakfirwalHijra,whoseideologystates

123

Irujo,ElAgujero,165 174. 13indictedinSpainonalQaidacharges, MSNBC,18May2005,accessedFebruary4,2006from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7899093 125 Irujo,ElAgujero,218. 126 Ibid.,268 270. 127 Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,307. 128 Irujo,ElAgujero,268 270.
124

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necessitypermitstheforbidden.Thus,sellingdrugsandothercriminalactivitiesare
129 justifiediftheysupportjihad. AhmidanandFakhetalsorecruitedRasheedand

MohammedOulad,twonativesofTeutan,Moroccointothegroup.Thetwobrothers solddrugsandworked oddjobs.

Ahmedrecruitedhisownsubgroup,whichincludedFouadMorabitAmghar,aMoroccan
130 andthreeSyrians:BaselGhalyoun,MoutazAlmallah,andMohammedAlmallah.

AccordingtoSpanishpolice,MoutazAlmallahhadcontactswithAbuDahdahasfar backas1995andservedasthepoliticalchiefofDahdahscell.In2002,Moutaz movedtoLondonwherehepreachedatalocalmosque.HetraveledbacktoMadrid seventimesin2003andmaintainedclosetieswithFakhetandothermembersofthe group,includingAmgharandGhaylounwholivedataresidenceheownedinMadrid.It wasatthisresidencewheretheAlmallahbrothersconductedindoctrinationsessionsthat includedwatchingviolentvideosofjihadandfierysermonsthatpreachedthenecessity

131 ofjihad. ApolicereporthandedovertojudgeJuandelOlmoconcludedthat,the

Almallahbrothersmadeupthedoctrinalbaseofthegroupandthatwithoutthem,the
132 March11bombingspossiblywouldnothavetakenplace.

Bythespringof2003,Fakhethadquitschoolandtakenajobasarealestateagent. AmericantroopshadinvadedIraqonMarch20andwouldtoppleSaddamsregimein
133 lessthanamonth. OnMay16,2003twelvesuicidecarbombersattackedmultiple

sitesinCasablanca,Morocco,killingfortyfivepeople.MustafaMaymouniwhohad arrivedinMoroccofromSpainashorttimebeforewasarrestedforauthoringthe
134 attacks. AroundthetimeofMaymounisarrest,AllekaLamari,amidlevelmemberof

GIAturnedupinMadridandmadecontactwithFakhetandZougman,whoaccordedhim
129 130

Vidino, AlQaedainEurope,325. Irujo,ElAgujero,243. 131 LondonheldMadridbombingsuspectsaidtobeSpanishAlQaidahchief, BBCWorldwide Monitoring, 24March2005,accessedfromLexisNexisAcademicUniverseonFebruary4,2006 132 SyrianbornbrotherstiedtoMadridbombing, SeattleTimes,3August2005,accessedSeptember11, 2005from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2002417643&zsection_id=2002107549&slug=terrordig03&date=2005080 3 133 BenjaminandSimon, TheNextAttack, 9. 134 Irujo,ElAgujero,241 242.

25

agreatdealofrespect.Lamariandhisboss,NouredineAbdumalou,anassociateof Dahdah,werearrestedinValenciain1997fortheirmembershipinGIA.Lamariwas sentencedtofourteenyearsinprison,butwasreleasedinJune2002duetoabureaucratic

135 technicality. Hesoonestablishedhimselfasaleaderinthegroup.AfterMaymounis

arrest,FakhethadtheleaseofthefarminChinchontransferredintothenameofYusef BenSalah,JamalAhmidansalias.

OnOctober19,2003OsamabinLadenreleasedanaudiotapethatthreatenedtoattackthe nationssupportingtheAmericanledoccupationofIraq.BinLadenstatedthat,We reservetherighttorespondattheopportunemomentandplaceagainstallofthe countriesparticipatinginthisunjustwar,inparticular:GreatBritain,Spain,Australia,

136 Poland,JapanandItaly. ThreatsagainstSpainhadnotappearedinprevious

statementsbybinLadenandthisfactwasnotlostontheMadridgroup.Theybegan
137 planningtheMarch11attackthenextday,accordingtoaseniorSpanishofficial. On

November6,2003agentsfromSpainsCenterofNationalIntelligencewarnedthe CommissaryGeneralofInformationthatAllekaLamariandFakhethadreorganizedthe remnantsofDahdahscellandthattheywereplanninganattackonasignificanttarget withinSpainbasedoncommentsLamarihadmadetopeopleinhisinnercircle.Bythis timeAhmed,whowouldsoonleaveMadridforMilan,hadtaughtFakhetandother

138 membersof thecellhowtoassemblebombsatthefarminChinchon. Now,theonly

thingthecelllackedtocarryoutanattackwasexplosivematerial.

RafaZouhierwasbornonJune15,1979inCasablanca.Hedrank,useddrugs,hungout withprostitutesandwasaclosefriendofJamalAhmidan.Zouhierhadbeenarrestedin September2001forarmedrobberyofajewelrystoreinAsturias.Hevolunteeredto becomeaninformantfortheCentralOperationsUnitinexchangeforalighterjail sentence.HewasreleasedinFebruary2002andmaintainedcontactwithtwoagents fromtheCentralOperationsUnit,whomhewouldinformofdrugandarmssmuggling

135 136

Ibid.,211 215. Irujo,ElAgujero,257. 137 BenjaminandSimon, TheNextAttack,10. 138 Irujo,ElAgujero,243.

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139 thatheknewof. Whilehewasinprison,ZouhiermetAntonioToroCastro,asmall

timedelinquent.CastrosbrotherinlawwasSuarezTrashorras,whohadworkedasa minerattheMinaConchitafrom19982002.PolicedetainedCastroandTrashorrasfor drugtraffickinginJuly2001.Whenpolicesearchedagaragethetwowererenting,they found80kilogramsofhash,16cartridgesofGoma2Ecoand94detonators.Trashorras allayedthepolicessuspicionsregardingtheexplosivebyexplainingthatheplannedto usethemtoremovealargetreestumpinhisfield.

RafaZouhierintroducedAhmidantoTrashorrasandthetwometforthefirsttimeon September18,2003.TrashorrasagreedtoprovideAhmidanwith200kilogramsof Goma2Ecoanddetonatorsinexchangefor25kilogramsofhash.Ahmidanandsomeof theothercellmembersdrovetotheMinaConchitaonFebruary28,2004toobtainthe

140 Goma2Ecoand400detonators. WhiledrivingbacktothefarmatChinchon,

Ahmidanwaspulledoverforspeeding.ThepolicemandidnotnoticethatAhmidans paperswereforgedanddidnotcheckthecarstrunk,whichcontained55kilogramsof
141 Goma2Eco.

Duringthenextweek,ZougmanpurchasedthecellphonesandSIMcardsthatwouldbe usedfortheoperation.LamariandFakhethadbeentaughtbyAhmedhowtoassemble explosivesintoabombandhadsincepassedonthisknowledgetotheothercell members.ThecellmembersmetatthefarminChinchononMarch10toprepareforthe attack.ItwasdecidedthatLamariwouldleadtheattack,butthatFakhetandAhmidan wouldstaybehindtoleadthenextstageofattacksincaseLamariwascapturedor

142 killed.

AlQaedaCentralwasnotbehindtheMadridattack,basedonwhatisknownaboutthe personsinvolvedintheMadridbombingsandHoffmansdefinition.AsidefromLamari, theindividualswhocarriedouttheattackwerealmostentirelymarginalmen,wholacked

139 140

Irujo,ElAgujero,277 279. Irujo,ElAgujero,282 288. 141 BenjaminandSimon, TheNextAttack,11. 142 Irujo,ElAgujer., 289 292.

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priorterrorismexperience.AlthoughLamariwasanallegedmemberofGIAand ZougmanandFakhethadtiestoknownjihadists,theoperationalcellinMadridwasnot analQaedaATeamofprofessionalterrorists.Thereisalsonoevidencetoindicatethat thegroupreceivedfunding,trainingordirectionfromanyonewithdirecttiestoalQaeda Central.However,thecellbenefitedfromitstiestomembersofalQaedaLocaland otherindividuals,whoattheveryleastweremembersofknownterrorgroups.This wouldincludeAziziandMaymouni,whoarecreditedwithestablishingthecellandthe Almallahbrothers,whowereinstrumentalintheindoctrinationofthecellmembers. AlsocrucialwasthecontributionofLamariwhosteppedupasaleader,following MaymounisarrestandthebombmakingexpertiseofAhmed,whichmayhaveproven decisiveinthesuccessfulexecutionoftheattack.Insum,theattackwascarriedoutby membersofthealQaedaNetworkofhomegrown radicals,whobenefitedfromtheir associationwithindividualswholackeddirecttiestoalQaedaCentral,butwho possessedpriorterrorismexperienceandexpertiseandthusprovidedcrucialsupportto theoperation.

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CHAPTER4 LUCKYTIMINGORPOLITICALCOUP?

TheMarch11,2004terrorattackinMadridplayedasignificantroleinoustingtheruling PopularPartyfrompowerintheSpanishelectionsthattookplaceonMarch14,2004. TheresultsofthePopularPartysdefeatincludedtheelectionof theSocialistPartys candidateforPrimeMinister,JoseZapateroandthewithdrawalofSpanishtroopsfrom Iraq.Sincethen,manyhavetheorizedthattheterroristschosethedateoftheattackwith theintentionofbringingabouttheeventsthatultimatelytranspirednamelytheousterof thePopularPartyandthewithdrawalofSpanishtroopsfromIraq.Inthisportionofmy thesisIwillexaminethetwoInternetdocuments,frequentlycitedasevidencetosupport thistheory:JihadiIraq,HopesandDangersandAMessagetotheSpanishPeople.

DidtheInternetPlayaRole? JihadiIraqandAMessagetotheSpanishPeoplewerepreparedbytheMedia CommitteefortheVictoryoftheIraqiPeopleandpostedonawebsitecalledGlobal

143 IslamicMedia(GIM). GIM,whichservesasaninformationhubforjihadist

propagandaincludingalQaedastatements,jihadisttractsandvideos,isoneofseveral successorstoAlneda.com,alQaedasmaincommunicationsvehicleafterSeptember11, 2001,whichceasedtoexistafterthesiteswebmaster,YusufAyiri,aSaudiclericand onetimealQaedainstructorinAfghanistanwaskilledbySaudisecurityforcesinMay

144 2003. SincetheU.S.invasionofAfghanistan,whichdeprivedalQaedaofitsphysical

base,theorganizationhasbecomemoredecentralizedastructuretowhichtheInternet isperfectlysuitedasitallowstheinteractionsofoperativesandotherlikeminded

143

BrynjarLiaandThomasHegghammer,FFIExplainsalQaidadocument,Forsvarets Forskningsintitutt,19March2004,1,accessedonNovember15,2005from http://www.mil.no/felles/ffi/start/article.jhtml?articleID=71589 144 SteveCollandSusanGlasser,TerroristsTurntotheWebasBaseofOperations,WashingtonPost,7 August2005,3,accessedJanuary20,2006from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp dyn/content/article/2005/08/05/AR2005080501138.html

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145 individualslocatedindisparatephysicallocations. GIMandrelatedjihadistsites,

whichareusedtodisseminatepropaganda,trainingmanuals,andfacilitatedebate,have convertedsectionsoftheInternetintoanopenuniversityforjihad,accordingto
146 ReuvenPaz,whoheadstheProjectfortheResearchofIslamistMovementsinIsrael.

Analystsbelievethatinsomecasesmessagesareissuedonjihadistwebsitesinorderto setbroadstrategicobjectivesandpotentialtargetlistsinthehopesthatindependentcells
147 willactonthemintheirownway. JihadiIraqseemstofitthiscriterion.

JihadiIraq,HopesandDangerswaspostedontheGIMwebsiteonDecember10,2003, althoughtheauthormentionsinthefootnotesthatadraftwascompletedinSeptember
148 2003. TheintendedaudienceofJihadiIraqismilitantIslamistsworldwide,

particularlythosewithinternationalcombatexperience.Theintroductionaddressesyou whohavecarriedweaponstocombattheRedCancerandforwhomthemountainsof Afghanistancantestifytruecombatanddeeppersistencetoyouwhohaveknownthe landofjihadinChechnya,BosniaandIraqasamujahidinyourmind,heartand

149 spirit. TheauthorsthesisisthattheoutcomeofthebattleforIraqwillbedecisivefor

thefutureofthejihadistmovementandthatalthough,theUnitedStatescannotbe
150 defeatedmilitarily,itcanbedefeatedinawarofattrition. Thedocumentclaimsthat

U.S.policesarecharacterizedbyrushanddesireforquickresultandaninabilityto
151 wait,indicatingaweaknessinwillandshortsightedness. Themainpointof

weaknessfortheUnitedStatesIraqendeavoristherisingcostoftheoccupation,which canbeexacerbatedbydrivingU.S.alliesoutofIraq,thuspreventingtheU.S.from sharingthefinancialburdenoftheoccupationwithabroadcoalition.Theauthorof JihadiIraqnotesthattheUnitedStatesiscurrentlysufferingfromarecordhighdeficit,

145

GordonCorera,Awebwiseterrornetwork, BBCNews,6October2004,accessedMarch52006,from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/3716908.stm 146 CollandGlasser,TerroristsTurntotheWebasBaseofOperations,3. 147 Corera,Awebwiseterrornetwork 148 BrynjarLiaandThomasHegghammer,FFIExplainsalQaidadocument,Forsvarets Forskningsintitutt,19March2004,1,accessedonNovember15,2005from http://www.mil.no/felles/ffi/start/article.jhtml?articleID=71589 149 BrynjarLiaandThomasHegghammer,JihadiStrategicStudies:TheAllegedAlQaidaPolicyStudy PrecedingtheMadridBombings,StudiesinConflict&Terrorism27(2004): 360. 150 Ibid.,361. 151 Ibid.,363.

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thattheU.S.isnotreceivingthetypeofdirectfinancialassistanceitdidinthefirstGulf war,andthattherisingcostsofthewarhavealreadyexceededexpectationsbecausethe
152 U.S.administrationdidnotanticipatetheinsurgency. Theauthoridentifiesthe

Europeanmembersofthecoalitionasthemostcrucialandtherefore,declaresthatthe neartermgoalmustbetoforceoutoneoftheEuropeanalliesinthehopethatdoingso
153 willhaveadominoeffectontheremainingcoalitionmembers. Afterdeterminingthis

courseofaction,theauthorprovidesananalysisofthedomesticpoliticalsituationsin Britain,PolandandSpaininordertoidentifytheweakestlinkamongtheEuropean membersofthecoalition.154

TheauthorconcludesthatSpainisthemostvulnerableofthethreecountriesandpoints outthatthereisalmostuniversaloppositiontoAznarsdecisiontoparticipateinthewar in Iraqandcitesthemassivedemonstrationsthattookplacebeforethewar.However, Aznarsgovernmenthasnotfallenforanumberofreasonsincluding:theweaknessofthe SocialistPartyanditsinabilitytomounteffectivepoliticalopposition,thefailureof SpanishvoterstoholdtheirleaderstoaccountduetotherelativeimmaturityofSpains

155 democracy,andthelackofdirectinfluenceoftheeventsinIraqonlifeinSpain.

TheanalysisofthedomesticpoliticalenvironmentinSpainisfollowedbyaconclusion, containingpolicyrecommendationsfortheauthorsinternationaljihadistaudience: ThereforewesaythatinordertoforcetheSpanishgovernmenttowithdrawfrom Iraqtheresistanceshoulddealpainfulblowstoitsforces.Thisshouldbe accompaniedbyaninformationcampaignclarifyingthetruthofthematterinside Iraq.ItisnecessarytomakeutmostuseofthegeneralelectioninSpaininMarch nextyear. WethinkthattheSpanishgovernmentcouldnottoleratemorethantwo, maximumthreeblows,afterwhichitwillbeforcedtowithdrawasaresultof popularpressure.IfitstroopsstillremaininIraqaftertheseblows,thenthe victoryoftheSocialistPartyisalmostguaranteed,andthewithdrawalofthe Spanishforceswillbeonitselectoralprogram.

152 153

LiaandHegghammer,JihadiStrategicStudies,363. LiaandHegghammer,FFIExplainsalQaidadocument,2. 154 Ibid. 155 Ibid.,3.

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Lastly,weareconvincedthatawithdrawaloftheSpanishorItalianforcesfrom IraqwillputhugepressureontheBritishpresence[inIraq],apressurethatTony Blairmightnotbeabletowithstand. Inthisway,thedominotileswouldfallquickly,butthebasicproblemofmaking 156 thefirsttilefallstillremains. TheinterestsoftheterroristsincoercingSpaintowithdrawitstroopsfromIraqandthe dateoftheMarch2004attackarethemostobviouspointsofintersectionbetweenitand JihadiIraq.Theotherconnectionsarerelatedtothevideotapethatwasreleasedbythe terroristsaftertheattack.AttacksagainstSpanishforces,accordingtoJihadiIraq shouldbeaccompaniedbyaninformationcampaignclarifyingthetruthofthematter insideIraqandthevideotapereleasedbytheterroristscouldbeseenasafulfillmentof thisrecommendation.Inadditiontoclaimingresponsibility,thespokesmanonthe videotapestatedthattheattackwasinresponsetoyouralliancewiththeterroristBush
(42) andhisallies...aresponsetothekillingofwomenandchildreninIraq. Thiscould

beviewedasanattemptbythejihadiststogivetheirversionofthetruthofthematter
157 insideIraq.

AnotherconnectionhastodowithYoussefBelhadjs(41) decisiontoassumethealias AbuDujanaalAfghanionthevideotape.AbuDujana,aCompanionoftheProphetanda bravewarriorduringtheearlyconquestsofIslam,isreferencedonthesecondpageof JihadiIraq:Verily(thecrusaders)donotandwillnotbeturnedaway(from aggressionagainstIslam)exceptbytheyouthwhohavesoldtheirsoulstoGod Almighty,andwhohaveputontheheadbandofdeaththeheadbandofAbu

158 Dujana. AbuDujana,becauseofhisstature,isanaliasthathasbeenassumedby

otherjihadists,butitisalsopossiblethatYoussefhadbeeninspiredbytheJihadiIraq document.AnotherinterestingfactisthatthepersononthetapeaddedalAfghanitohis alias,perhapsinanefforttosuggesthisaffinitywiththeveteransoftheantiSoviet, Afghanjihad,oneoftheconstituenciesdirectlyaddressedinthebeginningofJihadi Iraq.A numberofthoseinvolvedintheattackwereassociatesandadmirersofAbu

156 157

LiaandHegghammer,JihadiStrategicStudies,369. LiaandHegghammer,FFIExplainsalQaidadocument,3. 158 Ibid.,4.

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Dahdahandhiscellofexperiencedjihadists,someofwhomfoughtandtrainedin Afghanistan.TheadoptionofalAfghaniaspartofthealiasmayhavebeenanactof deferencetothisgroupandanattemptbythebomberstopresentthemselvesasthe successorstoAbuDahdahetal.

AfteradraftofJihadiIraqwascompletedinSeptember2003insurgentattacksagainst Spanishforcesrosesharply,includingtheOctober9,2003murderofJoseAntonio BernalGomez,aSpanishmilitaryattachandthefatalambushofsevenSpanish intelligenceofficersonNovember29,2003.159 Whethertheseattacksweremotivatedby JihadiIraq,theywereconsistentwiththescopeofJihadiIraq,whosepoliciesdeal specificallywithattackingSpanishforcesinIraq.Incontrast,theattacksinSpainwere outsidethescopeofJihadiIraq.However,AMessagetotheSpanishPeople,which waspostedbythesamegroupresponsibleforJihadiIraq,referencestheabove mentionedattacksagainstSpanishforcesandnotestheirfailuretoaffectSpanishpolicy. AMessagetotheSpanishPeoplesuggeststhatmoredramaticattacksarenecessaryto hastenaSpanishwithdrawalfromIraqandhintsatathreatagainstSpanishnational
160 securityinthefuture.

DespiteourrecognitionofthebravenessoftheSpanishpeopleduringthewarand upuntilnow,wehavenotsensedanyseriousefforttodropthegovernmentofthe warcriminalstherefore,wedeclarethattheresponsibilityfortheoccupation liesupontheparticipatingarmiesandtheirpeople.Ifthesceneoftheseven spieswasnotenoughtoactivateyourfeelingsandinitiateyoutosaveyoursons, youpushustowardsincreasingourresistance.ThebattalionsoftheIraqi resistanceanditssupportersoutsideofIraqareabletoincreasethedosageand 161 willeclipseyourmemoryoftherottenspies. WhileAMessagetotheSpanishPeopledoesnotadvocateaparticularstrategyit suggeststhatthescopeofthebattlefieldshouldbeexpandedbeyondIraqandadvocates increasingthedosageofattacksinordertocoerceSpaintowithdraw.Italsoplaces equalblameforSpanishparticipationinthewaronthemilitaryandthepeople,which suggeststhepossibilityofattacksagainstSpanishcivilians.

159 160

Wright,TheTerrorWeb,4. Paz,MessagetotheSpanishPeople,7. 161 Ibid.,8.

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Inhindsight,whenonelooksatthesimilaritiesbetweentheattackandthetwodocuments itseemspossiblethattheyprovidedsomesortofguidancetotheterroriststostrikeSpain justbeforeitselection.However,therearereasonstodoubtthatpossibility,includingthe factthatneitherdocumentadvocatestheuseofspecifictacticsorprovidesspecific targetinginstructions.PolicereportsconfirmthatAmerAziziandRabeiOsmanSayed AhmedwereactivepatronsofjihadistwebsitesandalthoughJihadiIraqwaspostedon

162 anumberofdifferentwebsitesandmessageboards ,thereisnoevidencethatthe

documentwasreadbyamemberoftheMadridcell.Forexample,neitherofthe documentshasbeenfounddownloadedontoanycomputerbelongingtoacellmember andnoneofthearrestedmembershavemadecommentssuggestingthattheywereaware

163 ofeitherdocument. Itisequallyplausiblethat,asSpanishresidents,theterroristswere

awareoftheupcomingelectionsandthepublicsstrongoppositiontothewarandacted whentheydidonthebasisoftheirownpoliticalanalysis.However,nosolidevidence indicatingthattheterroristsintendedtothrowtheelectionshasyetemerged. Insum, despitethestrikingcoincidences,thereisinsufficientevidencetoconcludethatthe terroristswereguidedinanywaybythetwoInternetdocumentsorthattheyintendedto influencetheelectionsoutcome.

162 163

LiaandHegghammer,JihadiStrategicStudies,357. BenjaminandSimon,TheNextAttack,15.

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CONCLUSION MembersofSpainsMuslimDiaspora,mostofwhomlackedanyprioraffiliationwith terrorism,carriedouttheMarch2004bombings,whichkilled191andwounded1,741. AlthoughitisbelievedthattheywereinspiredtoactionafterhearinganOctober2003 tapefromOsamabinLaden,callingforattacksagainstcountriesparticipatingintheIraq war,itappearsthatnoneoftheattacksperpetratorsreceivedinstructionsorsupportof anykindfromalQaedasleadership.Thatagroup,whichlargelyconsistedofpetty criminalsandbluecollarworkerscouldplan,fund,andcarryoutanattackofthis complexityandsize,independentofalQaedasleadership,illustratesthechangingnature oftheterrorthreatsince9/11.

Inparticular,thesefactsindicatethatgoingafteralQaedasleadershipalonewillnot preventattackslikeMadridthatarecarriedoutbyindependentcellsofalQaedaNetwork membersandalQaedaLocals.TheprimarychallengeposedtoauthoritiesbyalQaeda Networkisthedifficultyinidentifyingorprofilingindividualswhohavenotattended foreigntrainingcampsorfoughtinforeignjihads,andwhogenerallylackdiscernable tiestoterrorismthatwouldotherwisedistinguishthemasathreatandplacethemunder thescrutinyoflawenforcement.Thismakesthemidealrecruitingtargetsandasthe Madridattackdemonstrated,theyarecapableofcarryingoutlargescaleattackswhenled byevenacoupleofexperiencedterrorists.

Inthefuture,thethreatlevelposedbymembersofalQaedaNetworkmaynolonger dependonassociationswithexperiencedterrorists.Terrorismexpertiseisnowavailable ontheInternet,whichallowsinexperiencedradicalstobenefitfromanonlinelibraryof trainingvideosthatshowhowtoconductaroadsideassassination,raidahouse,shoota

164 rocketpropelledgrenade,blowupacar,andfireanSA7surfacetoairmissile.

WhiletheMadridcellbenefitedfromthemembershipofajihadistwhopossessedbomb makingexpertise,thepresenceofdetailedinstructionsfordesigningbombsonjihadist websitesreducesthelimitationsthatwouldotherwisebeimposedonacellofradicals

164

CollandGlasser,Terrorists TurntotheWebasBaseofOperations,3.

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165 wholackedconnectionstoexperiencedoperatives. Similarly,thepresenceonthe

InternetofthetypeofstrategicguidanceofferedinJihadiIraq,whethertheMadridcell usedit,againsuggeststhatthecognitivelimitationsofagroupofaspiringjihadistscould betranscendedbytheguidanceofanexperiencedterroristoperatingfromcyberspace.

Despitetheproliferationof webbasedtrainingmaterials,mostterrorattackssince9/11, haveinvolvedtheleadershiporparticipationofindividualswithsometerrortraining, suggestingthatonlinetrainingmaterialshavenotyetprovidedacompletesubstitutefor

166 experience,whichappearstobeinplentifulsupply. TheU.S.Congresshasputthe

numberofjihadistswhohavetrainedatalQaedacampsorgainedcombatexperiencein Afghanistan,BosniaorChechnyaat70,000 120,000,providingadeepwellofexpertise

167 thatcanbetappedforoperationsortransferredtomembersofalQaedaNetwork. The 168 jihadinIraq,inwhichatleast80Spanishresidentshaveparticipatedsofar ,isadding

tothisterrortalentpoolbyequippinganewgenerationofjihadistswithfirsthand experienceinurbanwarfare,andwillhaveseriousconsequenceswhenthosewhosurvive theconflictreturntotheircountriesoforigin.Thesefactorspointtoalongroadaheadin thestruggleagainstalQaedaCentral,itsaffiliates,andthoseinspiredbyitsideology.

165 166

Corera,Awebwiseterrornetwork Ibid. 167 BruceHoffman,RedefiningCounterterrorism, RandReview,Spring2004,accessedFebruary3,2006 from http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/spring2004/ceo.html 168 Haven,MadridBombingsShownoalQaidaties

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UnitedNations.Threatstointernationalpeaceandsecuritycausedbyterroristacts,UN SecurityCouncilResolution1530.11March2004,accessedJanuary9,2006,from http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/267/18/PDF/N0426718.pdf?Ope nElement

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BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH

RobertS.LevingswasbornonJuly27,1975inTallahassee,Floridaandraisedin Jacksonville,Florida.AftergraduatingfromFloridaStateUniversityin1998witha doublemajorinFinanceandInternationalBusiness,hereturnedtoJacksonvilleand workedincorporatefinanceatMerrillLynch.Robertdevelopedadeepinterestinthe MiddleEastandU.S.foreignpolicyfollowingtheSeptember11attacksandtheIraqwar andreturnedtoFloridaStateUniversityin2004topursueaMastersinInternational AffairsandstudyArabic.Hespentthesummerof2005studyingArabicatYarmouk UniversityinIrbid,JordanandplanstocontinuestudyingArabicuntilhebecomesfluent.

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