Police in France have arrested two suspected members of the armed Basque separatist group ETA, bringing the total number detained this year to 47. The pair, reported to be members of ETA’s intelligence unit and not the military wing, were detained by anti-terrorist officers in an early morning raid.

Earlier this week, Spanish police arrested suspected members of what officials called “a terrorist cell, armed and ready go.” They also seized 75 kilos of explosives in the raid at Usurbil in Spain’s Basque Country. The arrests came just a week after a senior anti-terrorist officer was killed when his car exploded in Bilbao. Spain’s Home Secretary said there was no immediate direct connection between the arrests and the murder. ETA have killed more than 800 people in their 40 year fight for an independent Basque Country. Spanish TV reported that during a high-level meeting, ETA re-affirmed the intention to continue with their armed struggle until they reach their goal. The report claimed that ETA proposed a six-month ceasefire, but only in the Basque Country itself, adding that it shows that the terrorist leaders might be aware that the policy of violence is not universally popular, even within the organisation.More about: Basque country, Spain

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