Following the Madrid bombing story

Following the Madrid bombing story makes me aware of some of the advantages as well as the perils of news-oriented blogs. On the advantage side, it lets people interact in the early stages of a developing story like this to exchange both news and sentiments. In the latter category, check out Marigolds2's expression of sympathy with the Madrid victims at her blog: PARA LA GENTE DE MADRID. 

But the Internet also allows rumors, gossip, and disinformation of various kinds to circulate at e-speed. So critical thinking and healthy skepticism are especially important at a time like this.

In my last post, I made a translation of the text that appeared in the Madrid daily El Mundo of what purports to be a video from al-Qaeda claiming responsibility for the attacks. Skepticism begins at home in this case. This is my amateur translation from Spanish into English of a tape found apparently by Spanish police at a mosque in Madrid. Spanish Interior Minister Ángel Acebes said the video was in Arabic, with the speaker using a Moroccan accent. (In Europe, the "Interior Ministry" is normally the national law-enforcement department, similar in that functiona to the US Justice Department.) See Al Qaeda reivindica los atentados en un vídeo hallado en Madrid El Mundo 03/17/04.

Three Moroccans and "two Spaniards of Hindu origin" (Interior Ministry description) have been arrested in connection with the attacks.

The Spanish authorities claim that the Abu Dujan al-Afgani identified as the speaker on the "military spokesman for al-Qaeda in Europe" is unknown to them by that name. It also seems to me that there's nothing in the text of the tape that represents information that would be known only to the perpetrators. It's not clear from what I've seen so far what degree of credibility the Spanish authorities are giving the video message.