Army officer killed by car bomb after ETA warning

The Associated Press , Madrid | Mon, 09/22/2008 2:29 PM | World

A car bombing blamed on the armed Basque group ETA killed an army officer and injured six people in northern Spain early Monday, the Interior Ministry said.

The bomb went off shortly after 1 a.m. (2300 GMT Sunday) outside an army office in the northern town of Santona, killing Brig. Luis Conde de la Cruz, 46, a ministry spokeswoman told The Associated Press. She was speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry regulations.

It was the third car bomb in 24 hours blamed on ETA. Another exploded outside a police station injuring 10 people in the town of Ondarroa, in the neighboring Basque region.

Spanish National Radio said the officer was among those being moved from the office following a bomb warning in the name of ETA, when the blast occurred. He had been on holiday in the coastal town.

One of the six people injured in the blast was in serious condition, Cadena SER radio said.

Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba and Defense Minister Carme Chacon flew to the town Monday.

ETA has been campaigning since 1968 for an independent Basque state in northern Spain and western France. The bombings occurred days after a Spanish court banned two pro-independence Basque political parties for having ETA links.

The first car bomb exploded Sunday next to the headquarters of the Caja Vital Kutxa bank on the outskirts of the Basque regional capital, Vitoria. It caused damage, but no one was reported injured.

Several hours later, the second car bomb at Ondarroa exploded, injuring three police officers and seven civilians.

ETA, which has killed more than 825 people in the past four decades, is considered a terrorist group by Spain, the European Union and the United States.

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