France arrests Eta commander and alleged accomplice

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18231603#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Version 0 of 1.

The military leader of the Basque separatist group Eta has been arrested in France along with an alleged accomplice, Spanish officials say.

Oroitz Gurruchaga Gogorza and Xabier Aramburu - allegedly his deputy - were detained in the town of Cauna in southwestern France.

The capture was a joint operation between Spanish and French police.

Eta has killed hundreds of people over decades, but in recent years has been considerably weakened.

In October last year, the group announced a cessation of armed activity, but it has not surrendered any weapons or disbanded.

According to Spain's interior minstry, the men were travelling in a stolen vehicle with fake registration plates, and both were armed with handguns.

Eta, which has operated since the late 1960s, has carried out a number of bombings and other attacks in an attempt to force the creation of a Basque homeland. Spain, the US and the EU consider it a terrorist organisation.