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Spain tightens security

Explosives, detonators found in rubble of suspects' apartment

From CNN's Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman


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Train attack suspects among those killed by blast in Madrid suburb.
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MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Army troops have been patrolling potential terrorist targets as Spain takes on a tighter security stance amid new threats from Islamic terrorists.

The increased security follows the Madrid commuter train bombings last month, which killed 190 people and wounded more than 1,800. On April 1, a bomb was found and defused on a high-speed train track south of the capital.

On Tuesday, police patrolled the sprawling Madrid metro system and major dams.

Spanish media reports showed army troops guarding nuclear power plants and petrochemical installations.

A letter faxed to a Spanish newspaper on Saturday, purportedly from an Islamic group linked to al Qaeda, threatened to turn Spain "into an inferno" if its troops are not withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Investigators are analyzing the letter.

Meanwhile, police investigating the aftermath of an explosion Saturday night in the southern Madrid suburb of Leganes found explosives, detonators and a belt that could be packed with explosives for a suicide bombing.

The explosion came as police raided an apartment thought to house several terrorism suspects. Forensic experts reported Tuesday that they had found 11 legs in the debris, indicating at least six people died. Initially, it was believed that five terrorism suspects died in the apartment building explosion.

Four of the suspects who died in Leganes have been identified. One Spanish police officer also died, and 11 others were wounded.

The Interior Ministry also confirmed that parts of two Sterling automatic rifles were found in the apartment debris.

Authorities said a Sterling weapon had been shown in a videotape that authorities received March 13, two days after the Madrid train bombings, in which responsibility for the attacks was claimed by a group allegedly linked to al Qaeda.

Authorities were trying to determine if the Sterling in the videotape and the apartment were the same.

So far, 15 people have been charged in connection with the commuter train bombings. Eleven of those charged are Moroccan citizens.

On Saturday, two more people were arrested in connection with the bombings. (Full story)

However, one of those two has been released from police custody for lack of evidence. The man, who has not been identified, was arrested in the Madrid suburb of Fuenlabrada.

The second suspect was arrested in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast. He remains in custody and was due for arraignment Wednesday at the National Court in Madrid, a court spokeswoman said.

Under Spain's antiterrorism law, the suspect can be held up to five days without charges.

With recent arrests and Saturday's deaths, Interior Minister Angel Acebes said those who made up "the central nucleus" responsible for the train bombings are either detained or dead.


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