'Car bomb' blasts Madrid airport
By Kelly Paul,WNS Spain Correspondent
MADRID - A powerful explosion apparently caused by a car bomb caused extensive damage to Spain's busiest airport Saturday, an airport official said, but there were no reports of casualties. The parking lot explosion followed a warning to police, who were able to evacuate part of Madrid's Barajas International Airport. It was not clear who gave the warning. Police received the warning at 8:15 a.m., telling them the bomb would detonate in 45 minutes, the official said. Terminal four, which serves Iberia Airlines and its partners, has been closed, although the airports three other terminals are still operating, the official said. Witnesses described a huge column of smoke billowing out from the scene of the blast.
Spanish state radio reported that a caller claiming to be a member of ETA said the group had planted a bomb, Reuters reported. In March 2004, 191 people were killed by bomb attacks on Madrid commuter trains. The attacks, blamed on al-Qaeda-linked militants, were not preceded by any warning. Barajas airport is Spain's busiest, handling more than 40 million passengers a year, according to the airport's official Web site.
posted by wnsworld @ 9:54 AM
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