Spanish authorities are braced for a fresh wave of attacks by Basque guerilla group ETA one day after police defused three parcel bombs sent to journalists, officials said today.
The parcel bombs sent to the Basque homes of three journalists who work at Spanish state television, private channel Antenna 3 and media group Correo contained about 200 grams (seven ounces) of explosives.
"We cannot rule out...a new wave (of attacks) in the next few days locally or even outside the Basque country," said Javier Balza, interior minister for the Basque regional government.
"(On Thursday) we immediately got in touch with the (federal) Interior Ministry to alert them to the situation," he added.
Police said they suspect those behind the bombs are part of Basque separatist group ETA's Vizcaya command cell in the northern region.
Yesterday's parcel bombs were not the first blamed on ETA, which has accused journalists of being paid workers of a foreign state and a foreign army. In May, Basque journalist Gorka Landaburu suffered injuries to his hands and face after receiving a parcel bomb at his home. That attack came after ETA shot dead a political columnist.
"ETA is a totalitarian organisation that is simply seeking power through terror and its actions are aimed at all the components of what is the democratic system...and shows the democratic deficit that exists today in the Basque country," government spokesman Pio Cabanillas told reporters.
ETA, recently placed on a European list of terrorist groups, has killed more than 800 people since it started a bloody campaign for Basque independence more than 30 years ago.