Two suspected ETA terrorists arrested in France

Sun, 10 Jan 2010

Madrid - Two suspected members of the militant Basque separatist group ETA were arrested in France, the Spanish Interior Ministry said early Sunday. The man and woman who were arrested were among the most wanted members of ETA, the ministry indicated. The arrests took place near Clermont-Ferrand in central France.

Both were armed at the time of their arrest, according to the newspaper El Mundo, which cited sources in the counter-terrorism branch.

The two were arrested in a mountainous region as they were approaching a weapons stash. Explosives were found in the stash. The Spanish Guardia Civil had discovered the stash some days before and held it under observation.

The Spanish government in late 2009 warned of new terrorist actions from ETA. Since a series of bomb attacks in August on the vacation island of Mallorca, the separatist organization has kept a low profile.

"The ETA has been pushed into a corner, it is socially isolated, and has been put under pressure at the international level especially from France. The organization is split internally," Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said. "In this situation, it is apparent that ETA must show that it still exists."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302900,two-suspected-eta-terrorists-arrested-in-france.html.