Eta suspects arrested in France

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French authorities have arrested two suspected members of the Basque militant separatist group Eta on the outskirts of Paris, officials say.

Spanish sources have described the two as leaders of Eta's intelligence operations, Efe news agency reported.

They were named as Javier Arruabarrena, 37, and Oihana Garmendia, 32.

Eta has fought for a separate Basque state in northern Spain and south-western France since 1968 in a campaign that has cost more than 800 lives.

The group formally ended a ceasefire two years ago.

Last week it was blamed for a car bomb attack in the northern Spanish city of Bilbao in which a senior police officer was killed.

Thursday's arrests were made early in the morning in Charenton-le-Pont, on the south-eastern edge of the French capital.

The two suspects were subject to a Europe-wide arrest warrant, a French official said.

They bring the number of Eta suspects detained by French authorities this year to 18, Efe said.