Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
03/11/2004: At 7:41 am local time, two bombs exploded in the fourth and fifth carriages of a train at El Pozo station in Madrid, Spain. The attack was a part of a series of ten bombs that exploded on trains on Madrid's commuter line during the morning rush hour, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1800 others. The attack, carried out by Islamic extremists who detonated backpack bombs with cell phones, was the deadliest of the four train attacks, killing at least 70 people and wounding many more. Police initially accused the Basque separatist group Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA) of the attack, which occurred three days before Spain's general election, but Islamic extremists were soon found to be the perpetrators. Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, a group said to be associated with Al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was retribution for Spain's cooperation with the United States in the Iraq War. In October 2007, twenty-one suspects were convicted and seven others were acquitted of charges related to the attacks. In July 2008, four of the convictions and one of the acquittals were reversed. Court proceedings indicate that Islamist extremists coordinated by Al-Qaida were responsible for the attacks, but it is unclear if the claim of responsibility from Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades is valid.Overview
GTD ID:
200403110003
When:
2004-03-11
Country:
Spain
Region:
Western Europe
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Madrid
City:
Madrid
What
| Target Type: Transportation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Civilians | ||
| Specific Description | Indiscriminate civilians on commuter trains in Madrid, Spain. | ||
| Nationality of Target | Spain | ||
| Target Type: Transportation | |||
| Name of Entity | Commuter Rail System | ||
| Specific Description | Commuter trains in Madrid, Spain | ||
| Nationality of Target | Spain | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | Yes |
| Extent of Property Damage | Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion) |
| Value of Property Damage | $6,600,000.00 |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Explosives | Dynamite/TNT |
| Weapon Details | |
| Twenty two pounds of explosives were located in backpacks and detonated by cell phones. | |
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | Yes |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) | No |
| Additional Information | This was one of six related attacks (cf. 20040311001; 20040311003-07). The injury and property damage figures were reported cumulatively for the four blasts, so they have been divided equally across the cases in order to preserve the statistical accuracy of the database. After the attacks, police discovered a stolen van containing seven detonators and an Arabic language tape near the Atocha station. London-based newspaper Al-Qods al-Arabi received an email claiming responsibility from Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades on the day of the attack and a videotape found at a mosque in Madrid two days later also claimed responsibility by that group. On April 3, 2004, seven key suspects committed suicide during a police raid on their Madrid apartment; among of whom was Jamal Ahmidan, a Moroccan believed to have been the central figure in the financing, planning and execution of the attacks. According to the Associated Press, it cost the perpetrators $120,000 to carry out the attacks, ranging from the cost of buying explosives to renting safe-houses. Of the 29 charged, three men were charged with murder: Jamal Zougam, a Moroccan merchant who allegedly supplied the cell phones used as detonators; Emilio Suarez Trashorras, a Spaniard accused of supplying the dynamite; and Abdelmajid Bouchar, a Moroccan. Rabei Osman, an Egyptian who claimed that the attacks were his idea, is among three other men accused of conspiracy to commit murder. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Al-Qaida (suspected) | Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: E-mail) |
| Number of Perpetrators | Unknown |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | 18 |
| Total Number of Casualties | 73 Fatalities / 450 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 73 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | Unknown |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 0 |
| Total Number of Injured | 450 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | Unknown |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| "Timeline of Events in Madrid Train Bombings," Agence France Presse, February 14, 2007. |
| "Madrid Attacks Timeline," BBC Online, March 12, 2004. |
| Daniel Woolls, “Judge Indicts 29 People over Madrid Terror Bombings that Killed 191 People,” Associated Press, April 12, 2006. |
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