BILBAO, Spain - A bomb killed a police officer when it exploded under his car in Spain’s Basque country yesterday, in what authorities said was the first fatal attack by ETA rebels since December.
The booby-trap attack in the northern city of Bilbao ended a long gap without victims for a group hard hit by arrests of its leaders, and which had not killed since gunning down a Basque businessman last year, authorities said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
“We knew that this could happen again, although the terrorists are weaker than ever,” said prime minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero from Brussels, where he was attending a summit of European leaders. “The full force of the law will fall on them to make sure they get the longest and toughest prison sentences possible,” Mr Zapatero said.
The victim was identified as police officer Eduardo Puelles, a 49-year-old father of two, who got into his car at about 9:05am in Bilbao’s Santa Isabel neighbourhood, police said.
A witness told Spanish media he heard Puelles screaming for help after the bomb went off but that he could do nothing due to the flames.
The leader of the Basque country regional government, Patxi Lopez, called a protest in Bilbao for this afternoon against ETA, which has killed more than 800 people in decades of struggle for independence of the Basque country.
Analysts say that ETA is losing support for its violent methods, although polls indicate a majority of Basques may still want independence from Spain.
In April, police arrested its suspected top commander Jurdan Martitegi, bringing to four the number of commanders caught in less than a year. – (Reuters)