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I was responding to a question on how to solve this situation, considering they're not intrested in negotiating.
Stopping terrorists committing atrocities like this is more difficult in a free country because of freedom of movement, security forces needing proof to lock someone up and so on.
I am sure Franco had very different ways of solving problems like this.
I would love to know how your going to find these terrorists, we're not sure who did this yet although the Spanish government probably have a very good idea. Don't think I am some liberal, far left 'softy' either its just the 'bomb everybody' policy doesn't work.
Well yesyou need proof but even in an unfree country what would be the benefit of doing something if you had no proof they were a threat, unless you lock up everyone?
UK is realtively free and we have been quite successful atb reducing the IRA threat to its current relatively minor level......
Thats what they've done throughout history isn't it? They didn't stop at locking them up either. I was just making a point that its very difficult to stop domestic terrorists.
None of which are the hallmarks of ETA, even in their hey-day.
They terminated it later on when the Spanish government wouldn't start talks about independance for the basque region.
Does that include all the terrorists that the US has sponsored? Does it include Nelson Mandela (branded as a terrorist by Thatcher in the 80's)?
See, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
Gotta say I agree. :yes: Whilst I don't believe bombing people is the way to go about it, I think people tend to forget what countries have been funded/trained by the USA and where a lot of their weapons come from. You think 'terrorist', yet many ignore how the west are forcing themselves upon 'less developed' countries via globalisation. People seem to forget how many people have died from sanctions on Iraq for example.
I think if anybody goes against the government of their country, no matter their cause they're labelled as criminals, deviants and whatnot.
What do they (Al Qaeda) want? I obviously am not very well read on the subject but most terrorist organisations have a political goal; whereas Al Qaeda are going abroad and seem to be just bent on killing everyone!
Al-Qaeda though, I was wondering when they'd surface again. Shoot them all and send them to hell where they belong.
Yet to be proven.
The detonators and explosives are exactly the same as those found on ETA agents twice since December.
Just because the method is new for them, doesn't mean that it wasn't them.
Are you taking the piss? Because I'm pretty certain that Bin Laden and his crew have never been that interested in anniversaries...
It could have been ETA working with Al-Qaeda, however I hope not, because the Spanish have no real way of retaliating against ETA without endangering Spanish civilians.
No, because if they were into anniversaries they would plan the attacks 12 months, or 24 months after the attack, not 30 ffs. What's the significance of 30 anyway?
It is true that ETA have never attempted something so twisted before. But it is also true that the organisation is at its weakest and within the last 2 or 3 years its entire high command has been arrested. It wouldn't surprise me if some minor- and deranged- minion is now in charge and he believed that since "moderation" :rolleyes: wasn't taking them anywhere it was time for more drastic action.
If it is confirmed it was ETA this will be entirely counter-productive as even some of its supporters will have been horrified and disgusted by it.
However the cleverest thing they could do is try to point the blame to Al Qaida. That way those who want to support ETA can do so with a clearer conscience :rolleyes: while at the same time the Spanish government knows it was really ETA that did it and the blackmailing effect is achieved all the same.
It could well be that it was Al Qaida after all, although the finding of a van with detonators and 'a tape in Arabic' makes me rather suspicious. This looks like a 5-year-old attempt to incriminate others.
I thought it was Rambo 3...
But no he never send cards, not even a phone call. I mean it's not as if he couldn't at least get in touch, tell me how he is and where he's been...
The standard was set and institutionalised long before Bin Laden ever became the boogeyman flavour of the month. Our boys simply know better how to keep their activities and involvements out of the mainstream media.
As for who did this, I think its obvious that ETA had the ability to do this, they had all the training needed and the explosives. The question is, not COULD they do it but did they have the WILL to do it.
All the 'experts' I have heard have suggested that ETA would never deal with Al Qeada, one compared Ian Paisley and the IRA working together.
Could this be a break away group of ETA a bit like the 'Real IRA' which did things like the Omagh bombing and the blasts in West London.
You would really only need 10 or so people do pull this off.
He does have a point about the date thing though.
Last I checked there were 190 people dead. What is there to be glad about?
About the whole anniversaries thing... I doubt there's some connection on that front, but Whowhere the arabic calendar (should it be Al Qaeda) is not similar to the western one. If you think in Western terms of course 30 is not gonna make sense, but who knows what the number 30 could symbolise in Islam? Have to think a bit out of the box.