France/Spain

Suspected Eta chief arrested

Article published on the 2008-11-17 Latest update 2008-11-17 18:12 TU

Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina
(Photo: AFP )

The suspected head of military operations for the separatist group Eta was arrested overnight in the town of Cauterets in the Hautes Pyrénées Departement, French authorities said on Monday.

Miguel De Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina, known under the alias "Txeroki", is a suspect in the killing of two Spanish police officers last December.

The arrest of Rubina follows the detention of Javier Lopez Pena last May, the suspected leader of the Basque separatist group.

France's Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie announced the arrest on Monday.

After the arrest of Rubina and an unidentified woman at 3.30 am local time, a handgun, false papers and a computer were seized by police. The pair are to be transferred to the southern French town of Bayonne later on Monday.

Rubina is believed to have taken over the command of Eta's military wing in 2003 and is thought to be hostile to dialogue with the Spanish government.

The two Spanish police officers were shot in December last year outside a cafe in Capbreton, in Basque country in southwestern France. Eta claimed responsibility for the attack that came after it had called off a ceasefire. 

Rubina is also accused of a car bomb attack at Madrid airport in 2006 which left two dead.

The arrest in being touted as a blow to the new younger generation of Eta militants, who have seen increased activity in recent years.

“There have been targeted attacks against civilians and officials, but not anything like the number that used to be seen in the decades preceding the 2004 attacks," says

Correspondent Victoria Burnett in Madrid. 

Following the Madrid train attacks, public opinion turned against armed terrorism as an acceptable tactic, Burnett explained. But this new round of arrests doesn't necessarily reflect a defeat of the organisation.

“It’s not quite clear whether by arresting someone like [this] suspect ... really pulls the rug out underneath the feet of the Eta military command, or whether just another person steps into his shoes and takes over.”

 

Also on Monday, an Eta fugitive, Juan Ignacio de Juana Carlos, surrendered himself to authorities in Northern Ireland.

The number of people killed in Eta's 40-year campaign for Basque independance currently stands at over 800.