Madrid says a suspected four member cell of the armed Basque terrorist group ETA arrested on Tuesday was preparing attacks in the North of Spain.

Police claim the four, 3 men and a woman, were found in possession of a large cache of arms and explosives.

They are thought to belong to a recently formed commando unit, which was about to carry out a series of strikes.

Interior Minister Alfredo Perez said: ‘‘We broke this group up before it got going. It’s very important. The police operation spared a great deal of pain and suffering.’‘

Police believe the group were getting ready to strike in Spain’s northern Navarra region, and swooped on the suspects in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the Spanish cities Pamplona and Valencia.

ETA has been responsible for five deaths since June last year after breaking a self-declared ceasefire.

The Basque terrorist group is deemed responsible for killing more than 800 people in its 40-year campaign of violence for a separate Basque state.

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