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May 2, 2002
Basque Separatists Set Off Car Bomb Near Spanish Soccer Stadium
By EMMA DALY
The Basque separatist group E.T.A. detonated a car bomb close to a stadium in Madrid yesterday afternoon, hours before the start of an important European soccer game. Seventeen people were hurt, none seriously, in the blast. A second bomb, 30 minutes later, may have destroyed the bombers' getaway car.
The first explosion was about 70 yards from the Santiago Bernabeu stadium before the game of the year, said Santiago Segurola, the sports editor with the Spanish daily El País, who witnessed the attack. "I heard a terrible explosion, and at that time there were hundreds of fans in the area. There was a lot of disturbance, but no panic."
The police had already cordoned off the area after a telephone warning from E.T.A. to a Basque newspaper, Gara. Supporters of Real Madrid and their bitter rivals, Barcelona, were waiting outside the city-center stadium before the teams met in the second leg of a semifinal of the Champions' League, an important competition between European soccer teams.
As a column of smoke rose at the site of the explosion, members of Real Madrid's Ultra Sur fan club, known as extreme right-wingers, poured out of local bars, Mr. Segurola said. "They were shouting insults against the Basques and singing fascist songs," he added.
Emergency services treated 17 people for minor injuries, mostly shock or cuts and bruises. Several buildings on the Paseo de la Castellana, the main north-south thoroughfare in Madrid, were damaged in the blast, and cars were set on fire.
E.T.A., which stands for Euskadi ta Askatasuna, or Basque Homeland and Freedom, has killed one person, a Socialist town councilor, this year and has been linked to several other attacks.
The Spanish government, which refuses to negotiate with E.T.A. over its demands for self-determination of the Basque Country, has increased pressure on the group since the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States. The government is also to outlaw Batasuna, a political party linked to E.T.A.
The bombing came shortly after the arrest of 11 Batasuna members, but it is not clear that it was directed against Real Madrid, a popular team supported by many of Spain's ruling elite. "The target was to create chaos and confusion on a main street at a special moment, like the game," Mr. Segurola said last night.
"E.T.A. were looking to destroy the fiesta, but we won't let them," said Joaquin Maroto, a spokesman for Real Madrid. "Fortunately, there were no fatalities, so we're going to go ahead with the match." The game ended in a 1-1 tie, and Real Madrid will advance to play Bayer Leverkusen in the May 15 Champion's League final in Glasgow.
Basque Separatists Set Off Car Bomb Near Spanish Soccer Stadium
By EMMA DALY
The Basque separatist group E.T.A. detonated a car bomb close to a stadium in Madrid yesterday afternoon, hours before the start of an important European soccer game. Seventeen people were hurt, none seriously, in the blast. A second bomb, 30 minutes later, may have destroyed the bombers' getaway car.
The first explosion was about 70 yards from the Santiago Bernabeu stadium before the game of the year, said Santiago Segurola, the sports editor with the Spanish daily El País, who witnessed the attack. "I heard a terrible explosion, and at that time there were hundreds of fans in the area. There was a lot of disturbance, but no panic."
The police had already cordoned off the area after a telephone warning from E.T.A. to a Basque newspaper, Gara. Supporters of Real Madrid and their bitter rivals, Barcelona, were waiting outside the city-center stadium before the teams met in the second leg of a semifinal of the Champions' League, an important competition between European soccer teams.
As a column of smoke rose at the site of the explosion, members of Real Madrid's Ultra Sur fan club, known as extreme right-wingers, poured out of local bars, Mr. Segurola said. "They were shouting insults against the Basques and singing fascist songs," he added.
Emergency services treated 17 people for minor injuries, mostly shock or cuts and bruises. Several buildings on the Paseo de la Castellana, the main north-south thoroughfare in Madrid, were damaged in the blast, and cars were set on fire.
E.T.A., which stands for Euskadi ta Askatasuna, or Basque Homeland and Freedom, has killed one person, a Socialist town councilor, this year and has been linked to several other attacks.
The Spanish government, which refuses to negotiate with E.T.A. over its demands for self-determination of the Basque Country, has increased pressure on the group since the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States. The government is also to outlaw Batasuna, a political party linked to E.T.A.
The bombing came shortly after the arrest of 11 Batasuna members, but it is not clear that it was directed against Real Madrid, a popular team supported by many of Spain's ruling elite. "The target was to create chaos and confusion on a main street at a special moment, like the game," Mr. Segurola said last night.
"E.T.A. were looking to destroy the fiesta, but we won't let them," said Joaquin Maroto, a spokesman for Real Madrid. "Fortunately, there were no fatalities, so we're going to go ahead with the match." The game ended in a 1-1 tie, and Real Madrid will advance to play Bayer Leverkusen in the May 15 Champion's League final in Glasgow.
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