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by Jason Moore

Spanish police were quick to point out yesterday that it was not easy to buy bomb-making material on the internet. They made this statement after the arrest of a 21-year-old suspect who had bought 140 kilos of chemicals and other items to build a series of pipe bombs allegedly to attack the Balearic university. The fact that this 21-year-old had made the purchase opens up a series of questions which the police need to answer. Ultimately, the question is: how could a 21-year-old resident in Majorca manage to place and buy materials to make a bomb with relative ease. Luckily the suspect was under police surveillance and they made the arrest just as he was about to receive the bomb making equipment. The 21-year-old was an electronics expert and police believe that he had the necessary technical knowledge to produce a pipe bomb, which is an improvised explosive device, a type which has been used with such devastating effect in Afghanistan by the Taliban. The Spanish police do appear to be watching the internet closely. The suspect was first brought to their attention when he mentioned his affection for the two authors of the Columbine school attack in the U.S. Since then he was a marked man and under the watchful eye of the police. As the President of the Balearic government, Jose Ramon Bauza, said the police should be congratulated for foiling this attack. But the fact remains that in his possession he almost had large amounts of bomb making equipment.