Bomb found on Spanish train line

1.15am UPDATE

MADRID - A bomb was found on a high-speed train track near the Spanish city of Toledo on Friday just weeks after 191 people were killed in suspected al Qaeda bombings of four packed Madrid commuter trains.

Interior Minister Angel Acebes said the bomb, believed to contain between 22 and 26 lbs of explosives, was found in a bag under the rails.

The explosives were connected by a cable to a detonator, he told a news conference.

A railway employee spotted the bag and alerted authorities who sent explosives experts to the scene.

Services on the prestigious AVE train service linking Madrid and the southern city of Seville were halted while all the track was checked, Acebes said.

He gave no information about who may be responsible for planting the explosives.

The incident disrupted travel as millions of Spaniards prepared to leave cities for the Easter week holidays. Seville draws huge crowds for its Easter processions.

The bomb was found as tensions in Spain were still running high after the bombings of four Madrid trains last month. Two of the trains exploded at or near Madrid's Atocha station, which is also the terminus for AVE services to Seville.

The bomb was found as members of parliament elected in Spain's March 14 election took their seats in Madrid. The Socialists ousted the ruling Popular Party in an election upset three days after the March 11 bombings.