 A Spanish resident attends a commemoration ceremony to marked the second anniversary of the Madrid terror bombings in a railway station in Madrid, March 11.(Xinhua/AFP photo) | MADRID, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Spaniards marked the second anniversary of the Madrid terror bombings with mourning and chorus condemnation on terrorism here on Saturday.
In Retiro Park, two children laid a wreath at a memorial site called the Forest of Remembrance which consists of 192 cypress and olive trees to honor the 192 people killed in the attacks, including a foetus.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and speakers of the Spanish parliament also attended the commemoration ceremony. Zapatero talked with family members of the victims and conveyed his condolences to them.
Also on Saturday, politicians and diplomats of 20 countries issued a statement in a Madrid arts museum, calling on people to fight terrorism together and defend human dignity and world peace.
 The family members of the victims killed in the Madrid terror bombings attend the commemoration ceremony in Madrid, March 11. (Xinhua/AFP photo) |
Bombs ripped through four commuter trains in Madrid during the morning rush hour on March 11, 2004 in the deadliest terrorist attack in Spain's modern history, leaving 192 people killed and over 600 others wounded.
The Spanish authorities initially blamed the separatist group Basque Homeland and Freedom (ETA) for the bombings.
An alleged spokesman for al-Qaida in Europe, however, later claimed responsibility, saying the blasts were retribution for Spain's collaboration with the United States and other U.S. alliesin the Iraq war. Enditem |