France raised its terror alert late Thursday, posting more soldiers on public transport, and also stepped up security along its border with Spain in response to the train bombings in Madrid. Officials in Spain blamed the rush-hour bombings on the Basque separatist group ETA but said they have not ruled out Islamic radicals. The Egyptian newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi said it had received a claim of responsibility issued in the name of al-Qaida. France raised its color-coded terror alert from yellow to orange, the second level in the four-level system. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin’s office said more soldiers would patrol trains and subways. At checkpoints along the Spanish border, long lines formed in the first few hours after the attacks as police searched cars and trucks. The situation had returned to normal by early afternoon. Full Story