After jailing seven of the ETA terror suspects arrested last week, Judge Baltasar Garzón revealed yesterday that the separatist cell had been planning a series of bombings on hotels, shopping centres and night spots across Andalucía next month.

It seems that a meeting had been organised in Granada on August 15th between the leader of the 'Vizcaya' cell, Arkaitz Goikoetxea (main photo), and the head of ETA's paramilitary operations, Garikoitz Aspiazu, alias 'Txeroki', at which the final order to begin the attacks was to have been given.

It has also emerged that the cell had been planning to attack Basque senator, Ramón Rabanera (PP), as well as three PP and PSOE offices in Sopelana, Leioa and Getxo.

Other targets the terrorists had been gathering information on, include: various companies involved in the Basque AVE high-speed train link, a Guardia Civil barracks and the Military Museum in Burgos, regional police stations in Bermeo, Plencia and Santurce as well as Balmaseda courthouse.

It has also been confirmed arrest warrants have been issued for three other suspects with alleged links to the 'Vizcaya' cell.

French police detain two more ETA suspects
By: thinkSPAIN
Saturday, July 26, 2008

As a result of information gleaned during the ongoing investigation into the activities of the 'Vizcaya' terror cell, French police have detained two suspects, one of whom, Asier Eceiza Ayerra (alias 'Fatty'), is on the French and Spanish police's list of top six most-wanted ETA suspects.

Considered to be second-in-command to terror-cell boss, 'Txeroki', Eceiza (30) is blamed for the two bomb attacks on hotels in Benidorm and Alicante on July 22nd, 2003, which left thirteen people injured, two of whom seriously. He is also suspected of having been responsible for gathering information on Orio socialist councillor, Juan Priede, who was shot dead on March 21st, 2002.

Eceiza (second photo) was arrested along with Olga Comes Arambiles, who is suspected of tracking the movements of Eibar socialist councillor, Benjamín Atutxa, who has been confirmed as the target of a thwarted kidnap-murder plot.

It seems that the terrorists were keeping tabs on Mr Atutxa during September-December last year, but called off the plan owing to effectiveness of the bodyguard service provided to all the region's serving politicians.

In a further development, a third arms dump as well as two 'dead-letter drops' have been discovered based on information obtained during the interrogation of the ten suspects arrested earlier this week.

One of them, Aito Cotano Sinde, who was arrested in Nigrán (Pontevedra) last Tuesday, was present during the search of the cache, which was found in a wooded area next to an abandoned house in Getxo's Algorta district. At least 30kg of explosives, detonator cord and tools for stealing cars were recovered.

Terror cell leader admits murder, kidnap plans
By: thinkSPAIN
Friday, July 25, 2008

The leader of ETA's 'Vizcaya' terror cell, Arkaitz Goikoetxea, admitted under interrogation last night that, apart from an attack on High Court judge, Fernando Grande Marlaska, the gang had also been ordered to kidnap a Basque socialist town councillor whose identity has not been confirmed.

It is a measure of ETA's desperation that they should consider such a move after the massive loss of support they experienced the last time they tried something similar. In one of the most infamous chapters of ETA's blood-stained history, Miguel Ángel Blanco, a PP councillor on Ermua council, was kidnapped on July 10th, 1997 to demand that ETA prisoners be moved to the Basque country. Mr Blanco was executed two days later.

Goikoetxea also admitted that they had been planning the kidnapping towards the end of 2007, but had been foiled by the bodyguard protection service provided to members of the Basque PSOE-EE party.

It has been confirmed that a quantity of Valium tranqulisers - presumably for this purpose - were found in an ETA hide-out in the grounds of a 12th century church in the La Riojan town of Valgañón, where a sub-machinegun, ammunition and tools for stealing cars, were also found (fourth photo).

More than 125kg of explosives, 100kg of which is powdered aluminium - which is the basic ingredient for manufacturing amonal or amosal - as well as detonator cord, and false French and Portuguese licence plates, were unearthed at a second cache discovered yesterday.

The material was found on a forest path (third photo) roughly 2km from the town of Pazuengos (La Rioja), which is only some 10km from Valgañón, where the first cache was found last Wednesday.

Since the find, Guardia Civil investigators have searched a flat in Ezcaray thought to have been used by the terrorists to assemble their bombs.

As more and more evidence comes to light, a tenth suspect - Inge Urrutia - was taken into custody yesterday in Getxo's Algorta district.

It has also emerged that a flat owned by one of the suspect's girlfriends near the Valdezcaray ski resort, that was searched earlier this week, is on the same residential estate where Judge Grande Marlaska has a holiday home.

ETA arrests leads to arms cache find
By: thinkSPAIN
Thursday, July 24, 2008

Guardia Civil bomb disposal experts are investigating a quantity of explosives and weapons found near Valdezcaray ski resort in La Rioja that is believed to be linked to the ETA terror suspects arrested in the Basque country earlier this week.

Last night Guardia Civil officers conducted an initial inspection of a flat on the El Cardizal residential estate in Ezcaray that belongs to the girlfriend of one of the detained suspects, but withdrew after spotting telltale signs that the property may have been booby-trapped.

From evidence gathered during Tuesday's operation, it appears that ETA was planning a major car bomb attack in Getxo on July 31st.

The bomb was to have been left somewhere in the exclusive Neguri district that is home to a number of business leaders and politicians.

There is evidence that the attack may have been perpetrated by a second cell brought in from across the French border.

The information comes from a letter sent by ETA to one of the nine detained, Aitor Cotano Sinde (24), who was arrested in the Galician town of Nigrán (Pontevedra).

Since 2000, ETA has targeted Getxo six times, the last being a car bomb attack on the Club Marítimo less than two months ago.

Information gathered during the raid on the home of the alleged leader of the dangerous 'Vizcaya' cell, Arkaitz Goikoetxea, includes annotated maps and plans of the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC) in Barakaldo that stages events such as trade fairs, concerts, basketball matches, as well as the occasional political rally.

Eight Basque terror suspects seized
By: thinkSPAIN
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

High Court anti-terror judge Baltasar Garzón is in the Basque country today to supervise searches of several addresses at which at least eight ETA terror suspects were arrested in a series of dawn raids this morning.

The arrests were made as part of an operation against the dangerous 'Vizcaya' cell that is blamed for the majority of ETA's attacks since the end of the ceasefire on June 5th last year, including the bombing of a Guardia Civil barracks in Legutiano (Álava) last May that claimed the life of Juan Manuel Piñuel.

They are also blamed for the attacks on the Guardia Civil barracks in Durango, courthouse buildings in Getxo and Sestao, socialist headquarters in Bilbao's La Vieja and Balmaseda districts, and the Guardia Civil barracks in Calahorra (La Rioja).

Among the detained is the alleged leader of the cell, Arkaitz Goikoetxea, and a second man also known to the police and suspected to be on ETA's payroll, Jurdan Martitegi.

These arrests bring the total number of ETA suspects detained since the start of 2008, to 86.