Police arrest six ETA suspects in second crackdown in three days

Police arrested six suspected Basque separatist ETA rebels and seized a large cache of explosives in northeastern Spain yesterday…

Police arrested six suspected Basque separatist ETA rebels and seized a large cache of explosives in northeastern Spain yesterday.

The authorities said the crackdown, the second in three days, had frustrated ETA's plans to form a base in Barcelona.

Interior Minister Mr Mariano Rajoy said more than 250 kg of explosives and several weapons were found in a number of flats used by the separatists in the city. "The Civil Guard has frustrated ETA's intention of establishing a command cell in Barcelona, stopping a new campaign in Catalonia against people and possibly tourist interests," Mr Rajoy said.

ETA, which has killed some 800 people over three decades, was linked to a car bomb outside a hotel in the Catalan resort of Salou last weekend. There were no serious injuries.

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The group has warned tourists to stay clear of Spain's beach resorts, which are packed at this time of year.

The swoop came two days after the Basque regional police arrested eight suspected ETA members and seized 160 kg of explosives and weapons in the Basque Country. A further 25 kgs of explosives were seized on Thursday in a garage believed to have been used to make car bombs.

Police say that they dismantled ETA's Donosti (San Sebastian) command unit, believed to be responsible for at least 12 of the 35 killings ETA has carried out since calling off a temporary truce at the end of 1999. But ETA has a long record of recovering from such crackdowns and has resumed operations quickly in the past.

The arrests appear to be the fruit of an agreement struck by the regional and central governments last Friday.