Spain, US on terror alert as visa controls tighten
Washington decided to introduce the new ID measure from September 30 next after accepting the 27 visa-waiver countries will not meet an October deadline to introduce passports including biometrics data.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said its consulate section in Dublin was yesterday briefed on the new US security measure aimed at fighting global terrorism.
Law enforcement officials in the US also expressed fears yesterday that terrorists may try to bomb buses and rail lines in major American cities this summer.
The FBI and Homeland Security Department issued a bulletin saying terrorists could attempt to conceal explosives in luggage and carryon bags.
Meanwhile, Spanish authorities directed the army to guard its railways after a bomb was discovered on a high-speed line between Madrid and Seville.
Interior Minister Angel Acebes said police would also check, kilometre by kilometre, the Madrid- Seville rail line on which the explosives were found.
Evidence was growing last night that Islamic terrorists were behind the attempted bombing, targeting a train packed with Easter holiday makers.
The bomb, believed to contain between 10kg and 12kg of explosives, was found in a bag under the rails. The explosives were connected by a cable to a detonator.
A railway employee who spotted a bag and alerted authorities may also have scared off the bomb makers. Authorities suspect the bomb was in the process of being planted.
Initial analysis suggested the bomb might be a Spanish brand of dynamite called Goma 2 Eco, the explosive used in the March 11 backpack bombs which killed 190 people.
The incident disrupted travel as Spaniards prepared to leave cities for the Easter holidays.
The bombing attempt also coincided with newly- elected members of parliament taking their seats in Madrid yesterday.
The socialists ousted the Popular Party in an election upset three days after the Madrid bombings.
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