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TERRORISM

Spain remembers Madrid train bombings victims

A ceremony was held at Madrid's Retiro Park at midday on Monday for the victims of the train bombings in the city in 2004.

Spain remembers Madrid train bombings victims
Ángeles Pedraza, president of the assocation for victims of the Madrid train bombings (AVT), spoke to several hundred mourners. Photo: Alex Dunham

The ceremony was held to remember the 191 people who were killed in a coordinated attack on Madrid's commuter trains on the morning of March 11th 2004.

A further 1,800 people were injured in the devastating attacks in which four trains were targeted.

In a moving ceremony, the Community of Madrid honoured the victims of the al-Qaeda style terrorist attack.

Spain's second in command María Dolores de Cospedal, Madrid's mayor Ana Botella and Ignacio González, president of the Community of Madrid, all attended the ceremony. 

The president of the the victims' association (AVT) Ángeles Pedraza presided over a minute's silence and then addressed the several-hundred strong crowd of mourners.  

"We've been asked to forget, forgive, turn over a new leaf or simply shut up — all because the judicial sentence has already been passed", said Pedraza, who lost her daughter in the attack.

"The Madrid bombings are not a closed case, there are too many unknown facts about the deadliest terrorist attack in Spanish history".

"We still don't know to this day why all those people died", musician Fernando Núñez told The Local. " I've come to each memorial service for the last nine years and played several songs on my bagpipes in honour of those who lost their life pointlessly". 

"A close friend's son was injured in the bombing and he's still recovering nine years after", pensioner Mari Carmen told The Local. 

"I'll never forget hearing the blast from my kitchen, it was so close! It made me realize that it could have happened to my family."

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TERRORISM

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

Police in Milan said on Thursday they had arrested a 37-year-old Algerian man in the subway, later discovering he was wanted for alleged ties to Islamic State.

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

When stopped by police officers for a routine check, the man became “particularly aggressive”, said police in Milan, who added the arrest took place “in recent days”.

He was “repeatedly shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ while attempting to grab from his backpack an object that turned out to be a knife with a blade more than 12cm (nearly five inches) long,” they said in a statement.

The man was later found to be wanted by authorities in Algeria, suspected since 2015 of belonging to “Islamic State militias and employed in the Syrian-Iraqi theatre of war,” police said.

Police said the suspect was unknown to Italian authorities.

The man is currently in Milan’s San Vittore prison and awaiting extradition, they added.

Jihadist group IS proclaimed a “caliphate” in 2014 across swathes of Syria and Iraq, launching a reign of terror that continues with hit-and-run attacks and ambushes.

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