Terrorist activity in Spain has come to a virtual halt since the ETA declared its unilateral ceasefire in September last year. However, street violence in the Basque Country has continued unabated, the peace process has made little progress and the truce has never been declared definitive.
Early yesterday Spanish National Police in the border town of Irun detained two suspected ETA collaborators who Interior Ministry officials believe were planning a terrorist attack. A third man escaped. The two men, both in their early 20s and with French nationality, are sons of known ETA activists.
The Interior Minister, Mr Jaime Mayor Oreja, said he suspected they were either preparing to kidnap a Basque businessman or raid a nearby factory which produces machinery for making car number-plates.
At the same time the French authorities extradited Mr Jose Luis Alvarez, alias Txelis, allegedly the former head of ETA's planning and financial structure. He arrived in Madrid yesterday after serving seven years of a 10-year prison sentence in France for collaborating with an armed gang.