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TERRORISTS TAKE MANY HOSTAGES RAISE FLAG OVER SPANISH TOWER

CORDOBA, SPAIN–An armed group of terrorists today seized control of the ancient Calahorra tower on the South Bank of the Guadalquivir River, took an undisclosed number of hostages, and raised an Islamic flag over the Spanish city of Cordoba for the first time in over seven hundred years.

Police who were called to the scene backed off when they were met by men with automatic weapons. “We withdrew rather than start a fire fight,” said Captain Julio Montero. “This is a situation which clearly must be handled at the national level. We immediately contacted the office of the Guardia Civil and Prime Minister Jose Aznar.”

According to one officer, the men shouted the police away in two different languages. A policeman of Moroccan descent said that one of them was Arabic but he did not understand the other language.

News of the seizure brought crowds of locals and tourists out from the old center of the city. When some started to cross the Roman Bridge to reach the tower, they were turned back the Cordoba police and the Guardia Civil. Authorities set up a perimeter some 250 meters from the tower and evacuated hundreds of people from hotels and apartment buildings within that area.

The reasons for the seizure, the number of hostages, and the demands of the militants are not yet known. Captain Montero told the press that he understands that officials from the government are assembling a delegation to negotiate with those who are holding the tower. The office of the Prime Minister had no comment other than to say that the cabinet was in session to decide what to do about the situation.

Local residents at first did not pay much attention to the crescent moon flag on top of the tower. Juan Gomez, an insurance salesman, says that when he first saw it he thought it was “part of some public performance like a play or a pageant.” Maria Theresa Hernandez, a maid in one of the nearby hotels, was happy to see the flag for she believed it signaled the beginning of a holiday.

Built in the 13th century to protect the Roman bridge which then led to the main entrance to Cordoba, the tower has in recent years housed a museum devoted to the three religions that flourished in Spain from the eighth to the twelfth century, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. It seems likely that the hostages include a number of tourists who were in the tower when it was seized. Three empty tour buses are parked in the lot close to its entrance.

In the tenth century, Al Andalus, as the peninsula was called in Arabic, was declared a Caliphat of Cordoba. The ruler of the time claimed to be the true successor to the prophet Mohammed. The great Muslim thinker Averroes and the Jewish philosopher Maimonides, both from Cordoba, are depicted in exhibits in the tower, along with 16th century Spanish King Pedro the Wise.