2004 Madrid train bombings
The killing drew comparisons to the 
, which killed 191 people three days before the general election in which Zapatero came to power. The conservative government initially placed the blame on the ETA, despite evidence that the attack was done by Islamic extremists angered by Spain's involvement in the Iraq War. One of Zapatero's first acts as Prime Minister was withdrawing troops from Iraq.
Socialists win second term as Spain's ruling party