Flailing Around

You have to get things into perspective. In terms of atrocity, two police officers dead is not on a grand terrorist scale; two police officers representative of the enemy where ETA is concerned. This was not an atrocity directed at others. That it took place in a tourism centre fuels publicity, which is of course the stuff of the terrorist. It could, though, have been anywhere; it just happened to be Palmanova. Cue the irrelevant and fatuous remarks along the lines of things like that don't happen there. Of course they do. Things happen, shit happens anywhere. Bombings on Mallorca are far less likely to occur than on the mainland because of the very fact of it being an island, and presenting the terrorist with logistical difficulties, not least of which is the route to escape. As a counter view to this, the "El Mundo" website has polled its visitors and asked them if ETA could count on logistical support in Mallorca - three-quarters say yes. Whatever. That the bombing did occur in Palmanova may have had something to do with the relative proximity down the road of the royal family in summer residence; the Guardia station in Palmanova was probably a soft target compared with ones in Palma.

But the very fact of a terrorist incident is bound to create a burst of discussion - in the media, across a coffee, wherever. Inevitably it does. That such incidents are played out in real time nowadays heightens the sense of shock and, among some, paranoia. But one still needs to retain that sense of perspective. One report - from "The Bulletin" - drew a comparison with the scene in Palmanova with that in New York. This is absurd. It is also dangerous as it creates the wrong sense of perspective, one of a major outrage - a Mumbai, a Madrid, a Bali or of course a World Trade Center. The same report alluded to fears that there might be further bombs. Why would there be? Well, there was one, but ETA does not go around performing mass, co-ordinated attacks in the style of Al-Qaeda. This is a terrorist group flailing around in an attempt to bolster its shot-through organisation. Publicity, concern it has caused, but let's retain that perspective. The chances of there being another bomb in Mallorca must be considered remote. This does not stop even "The Times" raising the temperature of hyperbole, referring to fears of a "summer of violence". It ought to know better.

After the event, there are questions that need to be asked. The first concerns intelligence and vigilance. Intelligence failures are not uncommon, as one knows from UK experience, but on an island the size of Mallorca one does have to wonder as to how a unit or individual can operate. It is highly unlikely that this was the work of a sleeper or sleepers. In light of the explosion at Burgos and the proximity of the 50 years of ETA's founding, what level of alert and what procedures were in place at all Guardia installations? The Guardia's vehicles are commonly parked in the open, on streets in many cases. To have planted a bomb would have meant its being attached under the noses of the Guardia, presumably at night. Where is their own security?

There have been conflicting reports as to how the bomb was detonated. By remote control seems most unlikely. Car bombs are now typically attached magnetically and respond to doors being opened, to pedals being pressed or to movement. Rarely are they triggered by the ignition being turned on. The magnetic attachment requires less time as well (and the latest is that this was indeed the style of bomb). One has to presume that the bomb in Palmanova was placed at some time during the night. A further question that arises, therefore, is the time between its being placed and its explosion. This may not be unimportant. If the bomber was looking to ensure that he or she was off the island, he or she would need a fair time frame, one during which he or she could be well away, possibly even back on the peninsula. Were certain vehicles at Palmanova known to be routinely used only at around two in the afternoon? If so, how? It is, however, speculation that the bombers are off the island. Word has it that they are not.

UPDATE (09:30, 01.08)
Well, well, forget some of the above. The vehicle had been used that day - in Palma and then in Calvia. Either the bomb was very well hidden or it was attached in broad daylight. This changes things. If it had been hidden, it would probably have had to have been detonated in a way that was not dependent upon motion or one of the other typical forms of detonation, i.e. remote or possibly with a mobile phone. If it was attached in broad daylight, then there was clearly a failure of security, a fact being accepted in any event. The likelihood is growing that the bombers are still on the island, and checks are being made on flats for rent. The hypothesis is that there was/is a "commando stable" now holed up in a flat, waiting for things to calm down.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - "Star", Primal Scream, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAANDIe4T7M. Today's title - this comes from one of the all-time great songs.

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