ETA political leader arrested

The suspected political leader of the Basque separatist movement, ETA, has been arrested in a joint Spanish-French operation, Spanish authorities said. Javier Lopez Pena, alias "Thierry", was arrested with three other ETA suspects in a late-night raid in the south-west French city of Bordeaux. ETA political leader arrested ETA is blamed for the deaths of more than 820 people in its 40-year campaign for an independent Basque nation. The group announced a ceasefire in 2006 but formally ended it last June. The group said it carried out Monday's powerful car bomb attack in Bilbao, the economic capital of Spain's Basque region. The attack came on the eve of a meeting between Spain's Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and the premier of the Basque region, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, in which Zapatero again rejected a Basque sovereignty plan. ETA has also been blamed for a bomb attack on 14 May that killed one policeman and injured four other people outside a police barracks in Legutiano, near the Basque regional capital Vitoria. Ceasefire ends The other three people arrested were named as Ainhoa Ozaeta Mendiondo, Igor Suberbiola and Jon Salaberria. Spanish police said Lopez Pena was one of the major movers behind the abandonment of ETA's ceasefire last year. He is accused of being involved in the December 2006 car bombing at Madrid's airport that killed two people, an attack that signaled the ending of the ceasefire. Spanish media said Ozaeta was the masked woman who made the official announcement in a June 2007 ETA video. Salaberria is an ex-regional legislator of the banned ETA political wing Batasuna.

ETA political leader arrested

ETA is blamed for the deaths of more than 820 people in its 40-year campaign for an independent Basque nation.

The group announced a ceasefire in 2006 but formally ended it last June.

The group said it carried out Monday's powerful car bomb attack in Bilbao, the economic capital of Spain's Basque region.

The attack came on the eve of a meeting between Spain's Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and the premier of the Basque region, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, in which Zapatero again rejected a Basque sovereignty plan.

ETA has also been blamed for a bomb attack on 14 May that killed one policeman and injured four other people outside a police barracks in Legutiano, near the Basque regional capital Vitoria.

Ceasefire ends

The other three people arrested were named as Ainhoa Ozaeta Mendiondo, Igor Suberbiola and Jon Salaberria.

Spanish police said Lopez Pena was one of the major movers behind the abandonment of ETA's ceasefire last year.

He is accused of being involved in the December 2006 car bombing at Madrid's airport that killed two people, an attack that signaled the ending of the ceasefire.

Spanish media said Ozaeta was the masked woman who made the official announcement in a June 2007 ETA video.

Salaberria is an ex-regional legislator of the banned ETA political wing Batasuna.