Bomb attacks

Thousands of mainly German and British holidaymakers flock to the resort island of Mallorca each year, and these bomb attacks have come at the height of the tourist season. It's another blow to the local tourist industry, with many travelers already concerned about the large number of swine flu cases on the island.

A spokesperson from the German Foreign Ministry told Deutsche Welle that the ministry has updated its travel information to make tourists aware of the bombings, with tips such as trying to avoid large crowds.

However, the ministry has not issued a travel warning for Mallorca and early indications are that the bombs have not caused tourists to cut short their summer breaks.

Sybille Zeuch from the German Travel Association says there is currently no suggestion that the bomb attacks will drive away the 170,000 German tourists now on Mallorca.

"What is different from other terrorist attacks is that ETA does not want to target tourists and no one has been hurt in these attacks," Zeuch told Deutsche Welle. "ETA wants to spread fear but they don't want any victims; what they want to target is the economy."

The Spanish government has remained defiant, saying the impact on tourism from the blasts will be minimal.

"ETA has been trying to inflict damage on the Spanish tourism industry for 30 years," Joan Mesquida, Spain's State Secretary for Tourism, said in Palma de Mallorca on Monday.

ETA responsible?

All three bombs were planted in ladies' toilets, indicating that at least one of the attackers was a woman, however police have not yet been unable to formally identify those responsible.

Indications are that Basque separatist group ETA was behind the blasts, after police received warnings earlier in the day that attacks would occur, from someone claiming to be from ETA. The group also admitted responsibility on Sunday for a number of recent attacks, including a car bomb on Mallorca just over a week ago that killed two Civil Guards.

Thanks to the warnings, no one was hurt in the explosions. The explosives were also not particularly powerful, leading authorities to believe that the attacks were intended only as a warning and not to cause injury.

Authorities are investigating whether the bombs were set off with the use of timers, which would have allowed the devices to be planted several days in advance and given those responsible time to escape.

Author: Clare Atkinson / dpa
Editor: Michael Lawton