Signal, No Noise

May 23, 2010

ETA members get 1,040 years each for Madrid bombing

Filed under: Europe,Southern Europe,Spain,Terrorism — mungurk @ 22:17

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ETA members get 1,040 years each for Madrid bombing

May 21st, 2010
02:00 PM ET

[Updated at 2:00 p.m.] Spain’s highest court has sentenced three members of the Basque separatist group ETA to more than 1,000 years in prison for a terrorist attack against one of the nation’s busiest airports in 2006, officials said Friday.

Spain’s Audiencia Nacional, or National Court, sentenced Igor Portu, Mattin Sarasola and Mikel San Sebastian as the ones behind the powerful bomb attack on Madrid-Barajas Airport in December 2006. The attack resulted in the deaths of two Ecuadorian nationals.

They join several other ETA members who the courts have sentenced to 1000 years in prison even though the maximum that can be served in Spanish prison is 40 years. Spain has no death penalty.

Judge Alfonso Guevara, who presided over the trial, also ordered the defendants to pay 700,000 euros to the family of Diego Armando Estacio and 500,000 euros to the family of Carlos Alonso Palate, both killed during the attack.

The blast came in the midst of a unilateral cease-fire ETA had declared in March 2006. The cease-fire raised hopes at the time for an end to decades of ETA violence blamed for more than 800 deaths.

ETA – or Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, which in Basque means “Homeland and Freedom” – is one of Europe’s last separatist groups. The organization, pronounced “etta,” has sought independence for a Basque state in northern Spain and southwestern France since it was launched during Spain’s Franco dictatorship.

According to studies by the Council on Foreign Relations, ETA’s structure has fissured, and many members are attempting to enter the political process.

[Posted at 12:44 p.m.] A court has sentenced three members of the Basque separatist group ETA to 1,040 years each for their roles in a bombing that killed two people at the Madrid airport in 2006, according to CNN+ and EFE, the national news agency in Spain.

March 16, 2010

Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez defends suspected ETA terrorists wanted in Spain

Filed under: Americas,Europe,South America,Southern Europe,Spain,Terrorism,Venezuela — mungurk @ 10:31

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Chavez defends ETA suspects wanted in Spain

By The Associated Press

Monday, March 15, 2010 at 6:05 p.m.

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez on Monday defended a group of Basque separatists who arrived in Venezuela years ago, saying he is certain they aren’t involved in terrorism.

A Spanish judge is seeking the arrest of six members of the Basque separatist group ETA and six Colombian rebels for a variety of alleged crimes, saying many of them are likely in Venezuela or Cuba.

Chavez noted several ETA members were allowed to come to Venezuela under a 1989 with Spain’s government after peace talks with the separatist group broke down.

“They’re Venezuelans now. They were married here, had children and even grandchildren, and we’re sure they aren’t participating in any terrorist activity,” Chavez said.

Tensions have risen between the two countries since Spanish Judge Eloy Velasco announced an investigation turned up evidence that Chavez’s government facilitated collaboration between ETA and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Both groups are classified as terrorist organizations by the European Union and the United States.

Chavez has denied any links and said the accusations are false.

The socialist leader said Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is under pressure from right-wing politicians and the press. He warned that “if they let themselves be taken by those pressures and they disrespect us in some way, well that would harm relations again like when the king told me to shut up.”

Spain and Venezuelan managed to smooth over a 2007 rift after King Juan Carlos told Chavez “why don’t you shut up?” during a summit. The comment came after the Venezuelan leader repeatedly criticized former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.

Chavez said if Spain puts relations in danger, “it would be highly regrettable – all the investments Spain has in Venezuela – oil, gas. Spain would be the one that would come out losing.”

The ETA suspects wanted by the Spanish judge include Arturo Cubillas Fontan, who is accused of playing a key role in ETA-FARC cooperation in Venezuela. Chavez did not mention Cubillas, who previously held a post in Venezuela’s agriculture ministry.

The Associated Press

November 25, 2009

34 Arrested in Spain for Connections to ETA

Filed under: Europe,Southern Europe,Spain,Terrorism — mungurk @ 09:08

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Tuesday, 24 November 2009

Spanish authorities say 34 people have been arrested as part of a police operation against a banned youth group linked to radical Basque separatism.

Officers raided a number of properties in the Basque region and the neighbouring province of Navarra.

They were reportedly acting on documents seized earlier this year after the arrest of an alleged senior member of the militant group Eta.

Eta has waged a 41-year campaign for an independent Basque homeland.

The group, which ended its most recent ceasefire in June 2007, is blamed for more than 820 deaths in that period. This year, the group has killed three Spanish police officers using car bombs.

Youth activity

Those arrested are said to be members of Segi, a radical Basque youth group declared illegal in 2007, after a judge concluded it had links to Eta.

Under the supervision of an investigating judge, the police raided more than 60 premises, the interior ministry said.

Police said they found material and equipment for making explosive devices.

The police operation is ongoing, with reports saying a number of other suspects could have fled across the border into France.

“With these arrests, we have dismantled the core leadership of Segi,” said Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba.

He added that there could be further arrests.

The suspects are considered hardliners within the separatist movement, police sources told local media.

Anti-terrorist officers had been monitoring youth activity following the arrest in Paris earlier this year of an alleged senior commander of Eta, says the BBC’s Steve Kingstone in Madrid.

Documents seized at the time indicated the group was seeking to enlist a new generation of followers.

November 13, 2009

Spanish bomb plot trial countered

Filed under: Europe,Southern Europe,Spain,Terrorism — mungurk @ 22:40

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Eleven suspected Islamist extremists have gone on trial in Spain, charged with involvement in a plot to stage suicide attacks on the Barcelona metro.

Prosecutors allege the defendants, nine Pakistanis and two Indians, were acting on orders from the Pakistan Taliban.

They are charged with belonging to a terrorist organisation, possessing explosive substances and falsifying official documents.

The accused deny the charges. The case is expected to last several weeks.

Prosecutors allege the group, who are appearing at the National Court in Madrid, were motivated by their opposition to the presence of Spanish troops serving with international forces in Afghanistan.

Spanish police uncovered the alleged plan after carrying out raids in Barcelona in January 2008.

Investigators said they decided to act after a member of the group warned the authorities.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8357165.stm

Published: 2009/11/12 14:08:17 GMT

October 27, 2009

Animal Activists in Spain, France Strike 4 Farms, Release 20,000 Animals

Filed under: Europe,France,Southern Europe,Spain,Terrorism,Western Europe — mungurk @ 08:47

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Published Oct 25, 2009 by ■ Stephanie Dearing

Animal activists struck at least four different fur farms in Spain and France earlier in October, releasing approximately 20,000 of the animals. Some mink were recaptured.

The mink farmers who were targeted now say they have lost their livelihoods. There were two different raids, according to Bite Back magazine, one during the night of October 15, with the other occurring sometime overnight October 19. In both attacks, cages were opened, water systems vandalized and fencing cut to allow and encourage the animals to escape. The mink are grown for two purposes — breeding stock and fur coats. Spanish police believe the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) was behind the raids. The ALF is a controversial group which has engaged in tactics that some have characterized as violent, in order to protect animals used in laboratory testing. The group advocates volunteering at animal shelters, letter writing campaigns and becoming a vegetarian among other steps a person can take to help animals. The ALF has posted the information on the mink release as reported to Bite Back, which is a reporting site for ALF. Mink in Sweden, Denmark and Italy were also targeted in October by animal activists. On October 2, activists in Italy burned a pelt shed and destroyed breeding records, as well as liberating the captive mink. Mink have been farmed in the United States for 135 years. The United States is the world’s fifth largest mink fur producer. Denmark, China, the Netherlands and Poland produce the most mink. Canada also has a few mink farms. A bill to ban mink farming in Europe has passed a second vote. If approved, the ban will take effect in 2018. Farmers say the ban is “immoral.” Mink are harvested for their fur when they are approximately five to six months old. Mink is very popular for coats. Prices range, depending on the size of the coat. The European Fur Breeders Association issued a release earlier this month showing a decline in world mink production.

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