MADRID –A police report shows the former government must have known Islamic terrorists were responsible for the 11 March massacre despite their attempts to claim ETA planted the bombs, it was claimed Wednesday.

Spanish daily El Pais claimed a police report into the first three days of the investigation revealed within the first few hours after the attacks, investigators were probing clues that Islamic terrorists had planted the bombs.

The newspaper  says the report exposes the version of events given by former Interior Minister Angel Acebes, who repeatedly claimed for 48 hours after the bombings, that ETA had carried out the attacks in which 192 people died.

Mobile phone calls and SMS messages sent by the terrorists were cited in the report as clues that Islamic extremists, not Basque separatists, had planned the atrocity.

Acebes would have been informed about the police investigation, as Interior minister.

Acebes has not commented Wednesday on the highly-damaging allegations.

The former conservative government’s handling of the crisis was widely believed to what drove Spaniards to vote in the Socialist opposition three days later on 14 March.

Opposition groups have called for a commission to investigate the events surrounding the 11 March attacks, similar to the hearing in the United States into the 11 September attacks in New York and Pensylvania.

Meanwhile, the judge in charge of the investigation Juan del Olmo released three suspects Wednesday held in connection with the attacks.

Among those set free is the only woman to have been arrested for her alleged involvement with the Islamic terrorists.

Naima Oulad Akcha, who was initially accused of plotting with the terrorists to stage the attacks, was arrested on 20 March.

She is the sister of one of the seven terrorists who blew themselves up on 3 April in Leganes, a suburb of Madrid.

The group were surrounded by anti-terrorist police. One officer was also killed and four injured in the blast.

Faisal Allouch and  Abdelouahid Berrak who were both thought to have known one of the ‘ringleaders’, Jamal Zougam, were also released.

There are now 12 men, mostly Moroccans, held in custody in connection with the attacks.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news