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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/16/fugitive-ex-leader-of-eta-josu-ternera-basque-detained-in-france
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| Fugitive ex-Eta leader Josu Ternera arrested in France | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A former leader of the Basque terrorist group Eta has been arrested in France after spending more than 16 years on the run, the Spanish government said on Thursday. | |
| Jose Antonio Urrutikoetxea Bengoetxea, better known as Josu Ternera, was once Eta’s political chief. | |
| Spain’s interior ministry said he had been detained “in the early hours of the morning in Sallanches in the French Alps” following a joint operation by the Guardia Civil and France’s General Directorate of Interior security (DGSI). | |
| “The terrorist had been living near Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, an area very popular with those who practise winter sports,” said the ministry. “The village lies very close to the borders between France, Switzerland and Italy.” | |
| Eta killed more than 800 people in more than four decades of violence aimed at establishing an independent Basque state. | Eta killed more than 800 people in more than four decades of violence aimed at establishing an independent Basque state. |
| Spanish authorities have been trying to track down Ternera since 2002, linking him to an attack on a police barracks in the northern city of Zaragoza in 1987 which left 11 people dead, including children. | Spanish authorities have been trying to track down Ternera since 2002, linking him to an attack on a police barracks in the northern city of Zaragoza in 1987 which left 11 people dead, including children. |
| Spanish PM says Eta's crimes will not go unpunished | Spanish PM says Eta's crimes will not go unpunished |
| Hugely influential within the group, Ternera – who is believed to be seriously ill – recorded the “final declaration” announcing the separatist group had completely dissolved in May 2018. | Hugely influential within the group, Ternera – who is believed to be seriously ill – recorded the “final declaration” announcing the separatist group had completely dissolved in May 2018. |
| Before that, he had taken part in negotiations with Spain’s Socialist government but was shunted aside in 2006 after the talks failed as more hardline elements took control. | Before that, he had taken part in negotiations with Spain’s Socialist government but was shunted aside in 2006 after the talks failed as more hardline elements took control. |
| The interior ministry said that the manhunt – called “Operation Stolen Childhood” – had followed many leads to track Ternera down to the French Alps. | |
| “The joint operation between the Guardia Civil and the DGSI demonstrates our commitment to the fight against terrorism and to making amends to all its victims,” it said. | |
| “The efforts undertaken to find and arrest Josu Ternera are also in place in the hunt for other terrorists who have fled justice, which is why the government remains in contact with the police forces and intelligence agencies of third countries.” | |
| Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the operation was proof of the effectiveness of the co-operation between France and Spain. | |
| “I’d like to recognise the efforts of the Guardia Civil and the French intelligence service, the DGSI, in arresting the Eta leader Josu Ternera in France,” he tweeted. | |
| “And today, more than ever, I send a huge hug to the victims of terrorism.” | |
| Covite, the collective of victims of terrorism, welcomed news of Ternera’s arrest. | |
| “We’ve spent years calling for the state security services to dissolve Eta,” said Covite’s president, Consuelo Ordóñez. | |
| “This is very good news and we hope that Josu Ternera’s arrest will be followed by the detention of the other members of the terrorist group who have fled and still need to face Spanish justice.” | |
| Agence France-Presse contributed to this report | |
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