Mastermind of the 2004 Madrid train bombing killed in Iraq: brother who joined ISIS admits

Writing by Ethar Abdul Haq

(Zaman al-Wasl)- A Moroccan jihadist joined the Islamic State in 2014 admitted that his brother was the mastermind of the 2004 Madrid train bombing, or 11-M,  saying the brother had been killed later in Iraq, according to the leaked Isis registration forms.

Abu Omar al-Reefi, who joined Isis in the summer of 2014, had acknowledged the ISIS' General Borders Directorate in the entry form that his brother is the perpetrator of Madrid train bombings on March 11, 2004 that left 192 people dead.

A note added by Isis to the form said Reefi's brother is believed to be "martyred in Iraq" without any furthers details.

The document has the first explicit and official indication- in all Isis documents- to one of the many perpetrators of Madrid train bombings and it reveals the perpetrator destiny (likely died in Iraq). Madrid bombings is still an issue for intelligence apparatuses and media around the world due to its complexity and due to circumstances surrounding the arrests, trials, and acquitted tens of persons from different nationalities.

The official investigation by the Spanish judiciary found that the attacks were directed by an al-Qaeda-inspired cell, and the Spanish miners who sold the explosives to the terrorists were also arrested.

-Close connection-

Abu Omar al-Reefi, who Zaman al-Wasl concealed his name out of editorial privacy to preserve his personal privacy, is a member whose documented data in Isis documents indicates he is in his mid-20s, single, resides in Spanish capital, Madrid.

The document says his education is secondary education and his Sharia knowledge is simple and his profession before joining Isis was in the Pharmaceutical industry.

Al-Reefi provided two emergency contact numbers which belong to his two siblings who reside in Spain according to the international code. Interestingly, the real surname of al-Reefi does not relate in any way to those who were arrested and trialed in the years following the Madrid train bombings. The Spanish authorities announced most of them and the media published their names around the world.


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Also, it is noticeable that al-Reefi entered Syria on 30th of May in 2014; the same date in which two other Moroccan nationals came in with him, one is Abu Bilal al-Andalusi who worked and resided in Spain for 7 years and the other called Mujahid al-Arabi al-Maghribi resided in Spain for 6 years.

The three very close in age went into Syria on the same date and from the same cross point, Tal Abyad and via a recommendation from a person called Abu Mansour al-Maghribi who also was recommended by someone called Abu Abdul Rahman al-Maghribi.

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Furthermore, the connection between Abu Omar, Abu Bilal and Mujaid seems to be more close than usual. The three were deployed to Iraq. Also, Zaman al-Wasl through the Isis archive found that Abu Abdul Rahman al-Maghribi’s name occurred many times in the documents. This man contributed in attracting and recruiting a significant number of Moroccan young men to Isis, noting that he resides in the most important cities in Morocco.

It seems that Abu Abdul Rahman is closely connected with Abu Mansour who was a representative and a middleman for Isis in Tal Abyad cross point. His mission was to receive young Moroccan men coming to Syria and sending them to join Isis not any other armed faction.

-Transformations-

Madrid train bombings on 11th of March 2004 are considered the most violent attacks which hit Spain by the number of victims and its influence on internal and external policies of the country. It is also considered the bloodiest attacks in Europe in general since 1988 Lockerbie.

The attacks took place on Thursday 11 march in rush hour and ssimultaneously four underground trains were hit by 13 bombs; 10 of which exploded killing 191 persons from 17 different nationalities around the world. the majority of the victims 143 were Spanish whereas 1800 were injured.

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The attacks caused a wave of panic on a large scale in Spain and the West in general which reminded people of the 9 September attacks especially that Madrid bombings took place on a very symbolic date after passing of 911 days on the 9/11 attacks.
Since Madrid train bombings also known as 11-M happened, a tracking down and arrest campaigns have taken place for years. The internal Spanish politics were exposed to transformations manifesting in Jose Maria Aznar loss of elections and socialist Jose Luis Zapatero wining noting that the attacks happened three days before the Spanish general elections.

Externally, the new Prime Minister Zapatero announced fast his repudiaton of Anzar policy in supporting Washington in the Iraqi invasion. He withdrew Spanish forces from Iraq in the summer of 2004, a month before the set schedule for withdrawal.

-Convictions and acquittals-

The issue of the attacks also reflected in a complex way on the judiciary and security arenas. Arrest and trials campaign were launched while courts sentenced and charged and issued warrants of arrest of tens of persons from Moroccan, Syrian, Lebanese, Spanish, Tunisian, and Algerian nationalities.

To have a simplified idea of the complexity of the judiciary and penal files for 11-M, it is enough to know that after a year from the attacks and specifically with the advent of march 2015, the Spanish authorities had arrested more than 70 persons’ suspect of connection with the attacks. 17 were acquitted and also two suspects were arrested outside Spain.

In addition to tens of arrested, 7 persons who were suspected bombed themselves and were killed all in addition to 8 suspects who disappeared 5 of which were issued international arrest warrants.

Following all of this, the Spanish judiciary issued a verdict on 31st of October 2007 pertaining to 28 suspects. 18 of which were convicted whereas 7 were acquitted. The gravity of the attacks reflected in the sentences where 3 charged were sentenced to 125 thousand years in prison of which is the Moroccan Jamal Zougam was sentenced with 43 thousand years of prison. The Spanish miner Jose Trashorras who provided the perpetrators with explosives was sentenced with 35 thousand years of prison. In the same trial, two Syrians were convicted; however, the High Court acquitted them after 9 months with another two who were convicted before.

The arrest and tracking down did not stop here, at the end of 2008, a trial was held in Morocco for a person called Abul Ilah Ahreez under charges of joining a terrorist group. During the trial, the public prosecution demanded sentencing Ahreez with life imprisonment saying DNA samples prove his involvement in 11-M.

In the summer of 2009, a Spanish court specialized in cases related to terrorism, acquitted 10 out of 14 suspects of helping the ones convicted in fraud and facilitating joining a terrorist organization.

at the beginning of 2010, a Spanish court convicted 5 accused saying they helped persons involved in 11-M to escape but the High Court cancelled the convict a year later in February 2011.

-File open again-

Thus, the file March 2004 is still open one way or another regardless of the years that passed. It seems it will reopen in a different way this time in the light of Zaman al-Wasl revealed information about one of the perpetrators of 11-M and his apparent destiny.