Al-Qaeda fear runs through Europe

Madrid 3/11

Remember that unilateral action by Bush the cowboy? Nobody was mentioning that Spain was involved (as well as other countries), but the radical Muslims seem to have noticed.

From the New York Post:

Even if it turns out that Basque separatists are responsible for the blood on the tracks in Madrid, European security officials are very concerned about the possibility - one might say inevitability - of a devastating al Qaeda strike in the heart of Europe.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz was in Paris on Monday, where he met with the French secretary of defense.

"France is really worried about Muslim terrorist threats directed against European targets," Mofaz told The Post before the Madrid bombings.

French concern was strong enough that they struck an agreement with Mofaz to tighten the intelligence cooperation and coordination between Israel and France to track al Qaeda cells.

Shortly after the bombs detonated in Spain, Israeli sources began to voice suspicions that the attack appeared to be more than simply the work of ETA, the Basque separatist terror group.

"I suspect that al Qaeda-affiliated Muslim terrorists have been involved in the bombing massacre in Madrid," Israel's former master spy, Rafi Eitan, told The Post.

Eitan served some 20 years ago as anti-terror adviser to Israeli Prime Ministers Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres before being fired in the scandal over the American spy Jonathan Pollard.

"I believe that the massacre in Madrid couldn't have happened without Muslim fanatics," Eitan said.

Israeli and Jewish institutions throughout Europe, including embassies, have long been the target of threats.

"This massacre recalls the suicide bombers' attacks against Israelis, and the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S., in that they were all meant to stun the world with as many casualties as possible," Eitan said.

"If the al Qaeda offensive is not stopped, they will go all across Europe again and again with such attacks."