María Isabel Guño Azpiroz and her sister, Blanca Rosa, were arrested last night in Orio (Guipúzcoa) accused of funding ETA.

The arrests were ordered by High Court judge, Baltasar Garzón, based on documentary evidence seized at the flat in Bordeaux where ETA leader Francisco Javier López Peña, alias 'Thierry', and three others were arrested on May 20th.

Both women are prominent local business leaders with strong links to the radical 'izquierda abertzale' separatist movement - one of the two stood for the Euskal Herritarrol party at the last general election.

'No evidence Thierry was ETA chief', claims French prosecutor
By: thinkSPAIN
Thursday, May 29, 2008

French prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin admitted yesterday that his investigators have been unable to find enough conclusive evidence to charge Francisco Javier López Peña, alias 'Thierry' (main photo), with being the head of the Basque terror organisation ETA.

"We have a series of interesting elements that show that (Thierry) undoubtedly had some kind of role, but as to whether he was number one, two or three, we have no proof," said Mr Marin.

Stressing that his team has had to sift through an "enormous" quantity of materials confiscated from the Bordeaux flat where 'Thierry' and three other ETA suspects were detained last week, Mr Marin said that it is very difficult to know exactly "who did what, and, above all, to whom each document belongs."

Notwithstanding, Mr Marin did confirm that there is solid evidence - "above all, letters" - linking the four detained suspects with ETA's extortion racket.

Ex-Andoain mayor jailed for ETA links
By: thinkSPAIN
Tuesday, May 27, 2008

The former mayor of Andoain (Guipúzcoa), José Antonio Barandiaran (EH), was jailed yesterday by Judge Ismael Moreno after a forty-minute hearing at the High Court in Madrid, charged with collaborating with a terrorist organisation.

Mr Barandiaran (55) admitted during the hearing that he met with his former deputy mayor, Ainhoa Ozaeta, in Bordeaux on May 18th - two days before she and three other high-profile ETA suspects - Javier López Peña, Igor Suberbiola and Jon Salaberra - were arrested by French police. These four have since been charged in Paris with criminal association with a view to preparing terror acts and receiving stolen property with the use of arms.

During Mr Barandiaran's four year tenure as mayor of Andoain (1999-2003), ETA committed two murders in the town - the journalist José Luis López de la Calle in 2001 and Local Police chief and PSOE member, Joseba Pagazaurtundua, who was killed in 2003.

Ex-mayor led police to ETA hideout
By: thinkSPAIN
Thursday, May 22, 2008

According to a report in today's 'El Mundo', a meeting with the former mayor of Andoain (Guipúzcoa), José Antonio Barandiaran (EH), a couple of days ago led security forces to the tiny rented flat in Bordeaux where four ETA suspects were arrested on Tuesday night. Mr Barandiaran was arrested in Andoain yesterday.

A sixth person, Louis Fort (75), was also detained yesterday in Bordeaux in relation to the renting of the flat from where four automatic handguns, ammunition, a small quantity of explosives (chlorate), false documentation, computer equipment were removed during an exhaustive search of the property yesterday at which the four suspects arrested there the night before, were present.

French Interior minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, also divulged yesterday that two stolen cars with false licence plates found near the city-centre apartment, that had been under surveillance for some time, were "undoubtedly intended for use in car bomb attacks," a view that was later confirmed by her Spanish counterpart, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba.

The second photo shows, ETA's political and military leader, Javier López Peña - who took over from Josu Ternera as the band's lead negotiator during the final weeks of the the failed peace negotiations, insisting on sovereignty for the Basque lands, the annexation of parts of Navarra and southern France, before ordering the Barajas airport bombing in December 2006 - during yesterday's search. 

ETA leader arrested in France
By: thinkSPAIN
Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The man believed responsible for ending ETA's last ceasefire was arrested last night in Bordeaux in a joint operation involving the Gendarmerie and the Guardia Civil.

Francisco Javier López Peña, alias 'Thierry', and three others were detained at a city-centre apartment near the train station at around 11pm. Although all four were armed, none resisted arrested. It was decided to wait until today before searching the property.

'Thierry', who has been on the run since 1983, is believed to be ETA's current military chief and one of those responsible for ordering the Barajas airport bombing in December 2006 that effectively ended the ceasefire.

Ainhoa Ozaeta Mendiondo - the girlfriend of the son of Josu Ternera and the woman responsible for reading out the gang's ceasefire declaration - Igor Suberbiola and Jon Salaberría - a former member of the Basque parliament and Batasuna leader - were the three others arrested.

As a direct result of the successful police operation, Interior minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, who is currently in Mali, has cut short his African tour, that would have also taken him to Senegal and Mauritania, and is on his way back to Madrid.