Spain halts for silent tribute to victims of terrorist bombings

MADRID, Spain — Millions of Spaniards streamed into cold and rainy streets Friday in silent tribute to the 199 people killed in the country's worst terrorist attack, while police removed evidence from the shattered commuter trains in the hunt for the bombers.

Spanish officials initially blamed the Basque separatist group ETA for the stunningly well-coordinated series of 10 explosions Thursday during Madrid's rush hour. Later they said they were studying a claim of responsibility by a shadowy group in the name of al-Qaida.

Arnaldo Otegi, a top Basque politician, denied the ETA separatist group was involved and accused outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's government of "lying deliberately" about the bombing to seek political advantage in the elections.

If ETA is deemed responsible, that could boost support for Mariano Rajoy, Aznar's hand-picked successor in Sunday elections. Both have supported a crackdown on the violent separatist group. However, if the bombing is seen by voters as the work of al-Qaida, that could draw attention to Aznar's widely unpopular decision to support the U.S. war in Iraq.

Underscoring the jittery nerves in the capital Friday, police hastily evacuated Atocha station, where one of the trains was bombed, in what later turned out to be a false alarm.

At noon, the nation observed 10 minutes of silence, to begin a three-day period of mourning. Offices, shops and cafes across Spain emptied as people went to stand in the street and remember those killed.

Afterward, many broke into spontaneous applause — a Spanish way to show respect and say goodbye.

Aznar stood outside the presidential palace with senior officials. The silence there was broken when someone angrily shouted: "Send the terrorists to the firing squad!"

In Barcelona, subways and buses stood still and construction work stopped. In northern Spain's Basque region, hundred of students and professors at the University of the Basque Country in Leioa stood in silence and clapped afterward.

"This is to show our rejection of violence and our solidarity with the families (of the dead)," said Mikel Luzuriaga, a Basque medical student.

Passengers sobbed, lit candles and left flowers at the Atocha station in the heart of the capital, where trains had to roll past the bombed-out wreckage still on the tracks.

"I saw the trains and I burst into tears," said Isabel Galan, 32. "I felt so helpless, felt such anger."