the European Union’s worst terrorist attacks in living memory were held across the country where church leaders, including Baptists and evangelicals, denounced violence and prayed to comfort the wounded nation.
Three Moroccans and two Indians were arrested in connection with the bombings Thursday, March 11, of several trains in Madrid, which killed at least 200 people and injured more than 1,500, news reports quoted Interior Minister Angel Acebes as saying. Two Spanish nationals from of Indian origin were also being questioned, the Bloomberg news agency reported, citing the minister.
Praying Spanish Christians and missionary workers were among an estimated 11 million outraged and shocked people, more than a quarter of the nation’s population, who marched Friday, March 12, in what was described as "the largest anti-terrorism marches in Spanish history."
In Madrid, American Baptist missionary Samuel Escobar said that members of the Baptist Seminary at the Spanish capital gathered for a time of prayer and later went to the city hall to participate in a quiet demonstration against terrorism and what some have described "the EU’s 9-11", a reference to the September 11 attacks in the U.S.
"We thank God for protection, and we ask your prayers that God’s people may be able to offer comfort and help to the many hurting people in this country," the American Baptist News Service (ABNS) quoted him as saying.
SPANISH BAPTISTS
The general secretary of the Union of Evangelical Baptists of Spain, Manuel Sarrias Martinez, said that "Spanish Baptists share a deep sense of shock and sadness" and that they "joined together with other evangelical Christians in Spain to publicly denounce the use of violence by any means", ABNS reported.
"We join you in mourning the death and injury of so many innocent people. Please know that we hold these victims, their families and the people of Spain in our prayers," said Reid Trulson, American Baptist International Ministries’ area director for Europe and the Middle East, in a letter published by ABNS.
"In prayer we ask the Spirit of God to anoint the churches of the Union of Evangelical Baptists of Spain with great compassion and power. With a renewed strength that comes from above, may you bring to those around you the good news of forgiveness, salvation and healing in Jesus Christ our Lord," he said.
ENCOURAGED BY SUPPORT
Trulson stressed that American Baptists had been encouraged by the support of many global partners after the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001. No American Baptist missionaries serving in Spain or Spanish Baptist partners were reportedly harmed in the attacks.
Pope John Pope II said earlier that the "unjustifiable acts offend God, violate the fundamental right to life and eradicate peaceful community living".
The Bask separatist terror group ETA has denied involvement in the attack, while the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, an Islamic group affiliated with the al-Qaida terror network, has claimed responsibility. Neither claim has been verified, and U.S President George W. Bush urged viewers on Spanish television to discount the rumors and "see the facts."
WASHINGTON PLEDGES HELP
He said America was willing to support the investigation of Spain, which was one of Washington’s closest allies during the war in Iraq.
Opposition supporters demonstrating in Madrid accused the government of withholding information ahead of the crucial ballot, as this could link the attacks to both al-Qaida and the war effort in Iraq, which has been unpopular in Spain
But Interior Minister Acabes tried to play down those accusations saying that "some of the arrested could have links with to extremist Moroccan groups." The arrests were reportedly made after police found a bomb concealed in a sports bag, which also held a cell phone. Following a trace from the telephone, the arrests were made in Madrid, Acebes told reporters.
