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Spain recalls train attacks

191 people died in blasts

MADRID, Spain — Spain observed a low-key remembrance of the Madrid terror bombings on Saturday's second anniversary of the attacks, as a delegation from Morocco — home to many of the suspects — fell silent at a station targeted in the massacre.

The 70-member delegation, called the Moroccan Caravan for Peace and Solidarity, set out from Morocco in buses on March 5, stopping in several Spanish cities before arriving at Atocha train station on a cold, blustery morning.

Members held a red Moroccan flag next to the red-and-yellow one of Spain as they stood in silence inside the station, one of four sites where 10 backpack bombs exploded exactly two years ago, killing 191 people and wounding more than 1,500.

The attacks were claimed by al-Qaida, but a two-year investigation has revealed that Osama bin Laden's group gave no logistical or financial support to the bombers, two senior intelligence officials told the Associated Press.

Many of the 24 suspects jailed in connection with the massacre are from Morocco, but some had lived in Spain for years.

"We want to express our solidarity and support for the Spanish people and show that the Moroccan people are a people of peace and against terrorism," said Mohamed Boujida, a delegation member. He noted that Morocco itself was hit by Islamic terrorists in May 2003 with suicide attacks that killed 45 people, including the bombers.

The delegation deposited a wreath of red and white roses and daisies inside the station and wrote messages of condolence on a large-screen computer terminal set up at a memorial site inside the building.

The ceremony was the first of several scheduled for a day in which the normally festive atmosphere of a weekend in Spain was replaced by heartbreaking memories of the morning of March 11, 2004.

The bombs, loaded with dynamite and shrapnel, turned crowded, rush-hour commuter trains into a maelstrom of bodies and body parts, twisted metal and wailing sirens.

Spain's version of Sept. 11 is etched so indelibly in Spaniards' minds that virtually everyone remembers where they were when they learned of the bombings, the frantic rescue efforts, the anguished search for missing loved ones.

The computer screen at Atocha station showed images of people crying that day, amid other pictures from a hellish morning.

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