Madrid, Spain ? In a videotaped message, a man purporting to represent al-Qaida claims the terrorist network was behind bombings that killed 200 and wounded 1,500 in Madrid, the Spanish interior minister said Saturday.

The tape — along with the arrest of three Moroccan and two Indian suspects — provide the strongest indication yet of a possible Islamic link to the attack on one of Washington’s staunchest allies in Iraq. The Spanish government, however, said it could not confirm the tape’s authenticity.

The announcement by Interior Minister Angel Acebes came just hours before polls were to open today in general elections weighed down by debate over who carried out the attack.

“We declare our responsibility for what happened in Madrid exactly 2 1/2 years after the attacks on New York and Washington,” said the man, according to a government translation of the tape, which was recorded in Arabic. “It is a response to your collaboration with the criminals Bush and his allies.”

Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has been a staunch supporter of the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

A London-based Arabic newspaper had earlier received a claim of responsibility in al-Qaida’s name; but the government has been reluctant to blame the Islamic group, saying the Basque separatist group ETA was also a suspect. ETA denied responsibility.

Authenticity unconfirmed

Speaking at a hastily called post-midnight news conference at the interior ministry, Acebes said authorities could not confirm the claim was genuine. He said the videotape was discovered in a wastebasket near a Madrid mosque after an Arabic-speaking man called a Madrid TV station and said where it could be found.

The man on the videotape wore Arabic dress and spoke with a Moroccan accent, Acebes said. The speaker concluded by saying: “This is a statement by the military spokesman for al-Qaida in Europe, Abu Dujan al Afghani.”

Interior Ministry officials said it was unclear whether that meant the man was Abu Dujan al Afghani himself or that he was speaking in his name. Acebes said the name was not known to intelligence agencies, and that they were checking the tape’s authenticity.

The man threatened further attacks in the video.

“This is a response to the crimes that you caused in the world, and specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there will be more if God wills it,” the man said, according to the Spanish government’s translation.

Officials distributed a transcript to reporters but did not show them the tape. Acebes said he had not yet seen it himself.

Elections today

Thursday’s attacks in Madrid came just days before Sunday’s general elections in Spain. At demonstrations Saturday, some protesters said they believed the ruling party was playing down the possible link between the bombings and Spain’s role in Iraq, fearing it would hurt the party’s chances in the election.

About 5,000 people protested Saturday outside the ruling party headquarters in Madrid, holding up signs saying “no more cover-up.”

One banner read: “Aznar, because of you we all pay.”

“Maybe now the truth will come out,” Fernando Hernandez, a college student, said after hearing about the arrests. “All we want is the truth.”

Arrests made, Spain targeted

Earlier Saturday, Acebes said the five suspects were arrested around Madrid. A spokesman for the Moroccan government identified the three Moroccans as Jamal Zougam, 30; Mohamed Bekkali, 31, a mechanic; and Mohamed Chaoui, 34. All three are from northern Morocco, but the government gave no further details about them.

“One might have connections with Moroccan extremist groups. But it is still very early to establish to what degree,” Acebes said. He did not name any group.

The five suspects were arrested after a gym bag packed with explosives and a cell phone was discovered on one of the four bombed rush-hour trains, the minister said. The attacks killed 200 people and injured 1,500.

Two Spaniards of Indian origin also were called for questioning but are not expected to be arrested, Acebes said.

Spanish citizens were among 33 people killed by suicide bombings that targeted Jewish targets and a Spanish restaurant close to the Spanish consulate in Casablanca, Morocco in May 2003.

Those attacks were blamed on Salafia Jihadia, a secretive, radical Islamic group thought by Moroccan authorities to have links to al-Qaida. Twelve suicide bombers also died.

Just months ago, a taped threat thought to be from al-Qaida terror chief Osama bin Laden had included Spain among countries that could be attacked “at the appropriate time and place.”