On 11 March 2004, a series of near-simultaneous explosions hit Madrid's commuter rail network during the morning rush hour. The attacks killed 191 people and injured thousands, becoming one of Europe's deadliest jihadist attacks.
Spanish investigators and courts attributed the operation to an Islamist cell inspired by al-Qaeda. The bombings had immediate political consequences in Spain and accelerated European cooperation on counter-terrorism, transport security, and intelligence-sharing.
This entry documents the attack as a mass-casualty terrorist crime against civilians, with sources focused on court findings and contemporaneous reporting.