Police have identified a man arrested in a southern French town - as he was trying to steal a car - as a senior member of the Basque terrorist group ETA.
The suspected common thief was arrested by French police in the town of Albi. He was originally named as Mr Asier Virumbrales, an innocent man whose papers had been stolen several months ago. But police eventually identified him as Mr Igor Urrestarazu, alias Bill Gates or Spock, the person responsible for ETA's intelligence and espionage operations.
He was armed with a 9 mm pistol and was carrying false French police identity papers and large sums of French francs and Spanish pesetas when detained.
Mr Urrestarazu (26), a former municipal policeman from San Sebastian, set up an intelligence network in the Basque country before fleeing to France three years ago, and is believed to have continued to control it from across the border. ETA has its top leadership in exile in France.
Under the leadership of Mr Iaki de Renteria and Mr Mikel Antza, ETA is divided into the political, military and logistical sections which control the terrorist activity across the frontier in Spain. Spanish and French police have admitted their surprise that a leading member of the organisation should involve himself with activities such as car theft.
Ever since the massive public outcry which followed the murder by ETA of Miguel Angel Blanco last month, moves to isolate its political front, Herri Batasuna, have been gathering force. The Herri Batasuna mayor of the town of Mondragon was yesterday voted out of office by fellow councillors following the example of several other smaller towns in the region.
At least 10 of ETA's 500 prisoners awaiting trial or serving sentences in Spanish jails have issued statements calling for ETA to listen to the people they claim to represent and to declare an unconditional ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the Civil Guard is investigating possible links between ETA and money laundering operations and international drug smuggling rings.