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Premier Says Ex-Government Erased Data on Madrid
Attack
By RENWICK McLEAN

Published: December 14,
2004

ADRID, Dec. 13 - Prime Minister José
Luis Rodríguez Zapatero contended Monday that the government of his
predecessor erased all of the presidential records related to the
March 11 train bombings before leaving office in April.

"There was not a single paper, not a single piece of data in
computer form or on paper, absolutely nothing in the executive
offices of the presidency because there was a massive erasing," he
said during more than 14 hours of testimony before the parliamentary
commission investigating the attacks.

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Mr. Zapatero appeared to be referring only to files created after
the train attacks. But another Spanish official said every file from
the previous government's eight years in office had been erased from
the hundreds of computers at the presidential complex, known as the
Moncloa Palace. "Not a single trace of any files was left behind,"
the official said. "Zero, nothing."

The cost of the operation, which was performed by a private
company, was 1,200 euros, or almost $1,600, according to the
official. "They did leave the bill," Mr. Zapatero said.

The destruction of the records was first reported in Monday's
issue of Spain's largest
daily, El País.

It is not clear that the previous government, led by José María
Aznar of the Popular Party, was under any obligation to pass on the
records to its successors. But an aide to Mr. Zapatero said
government officials were worried that the destruction of the files
might have eliminated evidence relevant to the bombings.

Ángel Acebes, the secretary general of Mr. Aznar's party, said
the government had not erased any official documents or anything
else that could have been useful to the new government. "If they
have proof that any official or administrative documents are
missing, it would be nice if they said it, and proved it," he
said.

Mr. Zapatero won power in elections held three days after the
train attacks, which killed 191 people. He has accused Mr. Aznar's
party of manipulating evidence about the attacks for political gain.

Spanish investigators say the bombings were carried out by
Islamic militants, but in the days after the attacks, Mr. Aznar's
party repeatedly said the prime suspect was ETA, the Basque militant
group.

"Today we know objectively that there was never any evidence from
the investigation that pointed to ETA, but for three days Spaniards
heard that the priority was ETA," Mr. Zapatero said Monday. "That
was deception; that was not the truth."

Mr. Aznar and his party fiercely dispute any suggestion that they
misled the public, saying that ETA was a logical suspect given its
history of terrorist attacks, which have killed more than 800 people
since 1968.

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