The search for those responsible for the Madrid train bombings appears to have ended in a violent finale as the alleged mastermind and four other suspects blew themselves up after being cornered in a shoot-out with police in Madrid.
The acting Spanish Interior Minister, Mr Angel Acebes, was in no doubt yesterday that the authorities had found the perpetrators.
"The nucleus of those involved in the 11th of March Madrid train bombings are now either dead or under arrest," he said.
Serhane ben Abdelmajid Farkhet, known as The Tunisian and named in court arrest warrants last week as the ringleader of the Madrid bombings, along with Abdennabi Kounjaa, a Moroccan, were reported to have shouted "God is most great" before detonating a charge that also killed a policeman.
A third man was named as Moroccan Asri Rifat Anouar, while a corpse found in a swimming pool remained unidentified, Mr Acebes, said. A fifth man was confirmed dead late last night. Mr Acebes said it was possible that some men could have escaped when police cordoned off the area and evacuated the occupants of seven apartment buildings.
Mr Pedro Blazquez, the manager of the apartments in the suburb of Leganes, said two North African men in their 20s had rented the flat about two weeks ago. He said they were dressed normally, but raised suspicion when they moved in with virtually no luggage, and no possessions or furniture.
The operation, which began at around 6 p.m. on Saturday when police surrounded the apartment complex which consists of four 4-storey blocks. As they ordered the residents out of the buildings, the Moroccans began shouting and threatening in Arabic and shots were exchanged.
When anti-terrorist police stormed the apartment at 9 p.m. there was a powerful explosion which blew out the entire front of the building and killed the suspects and the police officer.
The interior minister confirmed that in the wreckage of the apartment police found 200 detonators and 10 kilos of Goma 2 Eco fertiliser, of the same kind used in the train bombs on March 11th, in the unexploded bomb left in one of the wrecked trains, in the van abandoned by the terrorists near Alcala de Henares station, in the house near Chinchon, where it is believed they manufactured their bombs, and also in the bomb left on the high-speed train line last Friday.
Police have not said how they were led to the building on Martin Gaite Street, although they are believed to have been assisted by tip-offs from neighbours.
But they have also been tracing calls made on mobile phones using pre-paid SIM cards sold from the phone shop owned by Jamal Zougan, one of the Moroccans charged with the March 11th train massacre, who has been linked to al-Qaeda and to last year's bombings in Casablanca.
It was a mobile phone found in a sports bag containing the unexploded bomb on one of the trains on March 11th which led to the first arrests of the operation only two days after the atrocity and, according to Él Pais, also led police to the apartment block on Saturday evening.