SUMMARY

The train bombings in Madrid in 2004 was the largest terrorist attack against a Western country since the 9/11 attacks on USA. The presence of al-Qaida-linked cells in Spain had, however, been observed already in 2001, when about 40 suspected members were arrested. Spain was also threatened by al-Qaida due to its military engagement in the Iraqi intrastate war which followed shortly after the US-led invasion in 2003.

When ten bombs detonated on four different trains during the morning rush hour on 11 March 2004, both ETA (Basque Nation and Liberty) and al-Qaida were pointed out as perpetrators. The police soon ruled out the former suspect and eventually, it became clear that GICM (Moroccan Islamic combatant Group), which in 2002 was placed on the UN list of terrorist organizations with links to al-Qaida, was behind the attacks. Even though GICM openly supported al-Qaida and its attacks on Western targets, it is not clear whether GICM received any support from al-Qaida for the train bombings.

Eventually, in February 2007, the vast police investigation led to a trial where 28 people were charged for involvement in the attacks. Of these, 21 were convicted. The prosecutors have stated that the convicted, mainly Moroccans, were al-Qaida inspired Islamist terrorists based in Spain. One of them, Hassan el Haski, was later also convicted for his involvement in the 2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca, Morocco. These bombings were carried out by the Salafist Jihadist which appears to be an offshoot of GICM.

The attacks which have been attributed to GICM took place in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

GICM first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2004, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was crossed on 11 March 2004 when GICM detonated ten bombs on commuter trains in Madrid, killing 191 people.