A SUSPECTED senior member of Basque separatist group Eta has been arrested in Belfast city centre following a joint operation between the PSNI and the Spanish police.
Fermin Vila Michelena (40), was arrested on Thursday night under anti-terrorist legislation and is likely to face proceedings to extradite him to Spain to face serious charges including murder.
Detectives from the PSNI’s serious crime branch were questioning Michelena last night at Antrim police station’s serious crime suite.
The PSNI said he was arrested in connection with an investigation into operations by Basque separatists. Michelena is wanted in Spain on suspicion of involvement in a number of Eta attacks.
Spanish police say he is part of Eta’s Madrid group, which was responsible for four bomb attacks in 2001, one of which killed a senior army officer and a policeman.
He fled to France and has been on a European list of suspected terrorists since then.
He stood for the separatist Basque Batasuna Party in 1994 in the European elections.
Over the years of the troubles Basque separatists have forged strong links with Sinn Féin, with representatives attending Sinn Féin ardfheiseanna.
In March a Belfast court ordered the extradition to Spain of a former Eta leader, Jose Ignacio De Juana Chaos (54), for justifying terrorism. He had served 20 years for the killing of 25 people.
In April the court was told that De Juana Chaos had disappeared and had not observed the terms of his bail. His appeal may be heard in his absence on Monday.
Previously, Spanish authorities failed in their bid to extradite Arturo Villanueva Arteaga (33) from Northern Ireland to Spain. It was claimed he was a member of Eta’s youth wing and had carried out violent and coercive actions in the Basque region from 1994 to 2000.
These activities had allegedly included bus burning, setting street furniture on fire and arson against government facilities.
Belfast recorder Judge Tom Burgess said, however, that the bid lacked detail about alleged actions of the accused which could connect him to the banned group.