French police today arrested a man and a woman suspected of being Eta members linked to the shooting of two Spanish policemen in France at the weekend.
A second Spanish policeman shot by the Basque separatist group in France while on a surveillance operation died today.
Fernando Trapero (23) had been in a coma since he was shot at point-blank range with colleague Raul Centeno when they met a group of Eta gunmen in a cafe in southern France on Saturday.
Mr Centeno died on Saturday.
The two suspects, who were carrying a revolver and an automatic pistol, were arrested as they were about to board a bus in the southern French village of Chateauneuf de Randon, police said.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who is under scrutiny for his handling of Eta violence ahead of general elections next March, welcomed the French arrests.
The first ETA killings in almost a year has pushed the Spanish government's policies in the Basque country back into the spotlight ahead of what is likely to be a close-fought vote.