ETA TERRORIST ORG

ETA Terrorist Org

ETA Terrorist Org

Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)

Name(s). Basque Fatherland and Liberty; Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna, ETA

Goals and Objectives.

ETA aims to establish a Basque homeland based on Marxist principles in the ethnically Basque areas in northern Spain and southwestern France.

Brief History.

ETA was founded in 1959 by Basque Marxist rebels incensed by the efforts of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to suppress the Basque language and culture. Since then the group has carried out numerous attacks in Spain and some in France. More than 800 people have been killed in ETA attacks since its founding. (Trocki 2002)

The group is best known for assassinating high level Spanish officials. In 1973, the group assassinated Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, the heir apparent to Franco, and in 1995 Spanish politician and now president Jose Maria Aznar narrowly escaped an attack. Spanish King Juan Carlos was also the target of an unsuccessful plot. In addition, the group has targeted lower-level officials, journalists, and civilians.

In the past two years, the Spanish government has made important breakthroughs against ETA, arresting over 120 suspected members and accomplices, seizing assets, and disrupting planned operations. (Napoleoni 2005)

France has also recently arrested a number of suspected members. ETA apparently does not enjoy broad support among Basques: often its attacks are followed by anti-violence demonstrations, and moderate political parties that reject violence do much better at polls than do parties supportive of ETA. ETA was founded in 1959 with the aim of establishing an independent homeland based on Marxist principles and encompassing the Spanish Basque provinces of Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa, and Alava, as well as the autonomous region of Navarra and the southwestern French Departments of Labourd, Basse-Navarra, and Soule.

In 2004, Spain and France formed a joint counterterrorism and judicial unit to combat ETA and Islamic terrorist groups. Spanish and French police in 2005 arrested 71 individuals associated with ETA and dismantled six operational cells, dealing a significant blow to the group's operational capability. ETA's political wing, Batasuna, remains banned in Spain, and Spanish authorities in 2005 charged 41 members of Batasuna with providing support to ETA.

Spanish and French prisons are estimated to hold more than 700 ETA members. (Kaldor 2003)

Activities:

ETA is primarily involved in bombings and assassinations of Spanish Government officials, security and military forces, politicians, and judicial figures, but it has also targeted journalists and tourist areas. Security service scrutiny and a public outcry after the Islamic extremist train bombings in Madrid in March 2004 limited ETA's capabilities and willingness to inflict casualties. ETA conducted no fatal attacks in 2005, but did mount more than 30 low-level bombings - most preceded by a warning call - that caused minor injuries and property damage. (Bright 2006)

On February 9, ETA detonated a car bomb in Madrid, the first such attack there since April 2002, at a convention center where Spanish King Juan Carlos and Mexican President Vicente Fox were scheduled to appear, wounding at least two dozen people. On June 10, ETA launched grenades at the airport that ...