Basque ETA's suspected political chief arrested

By Al Goodman

CNN Madrid Bureau Chief

MADRID, Spain (CNN) – Police arrested the suspected chief of the Basque separatist group ETA's political apparatus Monday in France, along with another suspect, CNN partner station CNN+ reported, citing anti-terrorism sources.

The main suspect, Aitor Elizaran Aguilar, 30, allegedly ran ETA's policy-making branch; the other part of ETA is the military wing, which carries out the attacks blamed for more than 800 deaths in ETA's long fight for Basque independence.

The Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed the arrest of 2 ETA suspects in France on Monday but did not immediately identify them.

It would be the fifth time since May 2008 that police have arrested ETA's suspected top military or political leader. Officials have told CNN that after one leader is arrested, another ETA member quickly takes the position, but the substitutes, in succession, have also been arrested, along with dozens of ETA militants since then (May 2008).

ETA is listed as a terrorist group by Spain, the European Union and the United States. It wants a Basque homeland in northern Spain and a contiguous part of southwest France.

France has for years been ETA's rearguard operations base. The arrests Monday occurred near the town of Carnac in French Brittany, far north of the Spanish border.

Spanish media said the other suspect was a woman, identified as Oihana San Vicente, allegedly also part of ETA's leadership. The two suspects reportedly were armed and traveling in a stolen car.

Nine days ago, police in France arrested two of the most-wanted ETA suspects, allegedly involved in logistics. Police later found weapons and material to make

car bombs, the Interior Ministry said in a statement at the time.

Last Friday, a Spanish judge Friday charged a well-known Basque politician and seven suspected collaborators with membership in ETA.

The politician, Arnaldo Otegi, had been a leader of the Batasuna party, outlawed in 2003 for its links to ETA. He and the others were arrested last week in northern Spain for

allegedly trying to regroup the leadership of the Basque left movement to "carry out ETA's orders," an Interior Ministry statement said.

The judge ordered Otegi and four others to remain in jail after closed-door hearings Friday. Three others were allowed to remain free if they each post a bail of 10,000 euros (about $14,900).

"Those charged here have no degree of independence from ETA in formulating their programs, which leads to the conclusion that their actions are directed by ETA from start to finish," the judge, Baltasar Garzon, wrote in a 55-page order last Friday, viewed by CNN.

When ETA declared a unilateral "permanent" cease-fire in March 2006, the government began steps toward a peace process. But ETA then bombed Madrid's airport in December 2006, killing two men and causing extensive damage.

ETA in 2007 called off its cease-fire, which the government had already considered finished.

The government has said since then that the only way to end more than 40 years of violence would be for ETA to renounce its campaign and lay down its arms. Otherwise, the organization would face its demise through a police

crackdown, it said.

ETA has continued its killings and bombings, including fatal attacks on the Spanish island of Majorca in August.

But police have hit back with numerous arrests.

ETA is an acronym for Euskadi ta Askatasuna, which means "Basque Homeland and Liberty" in the Basque language. ETA was founded in 1959.