Mikel Albizu Iriarte

Mikel Albizu Iriarte, the suspected top leader of ETA's political wing since 1993, and his partner, Soledad Iparraguirre were arrested, French investigators and Spanish authorities said.

The French government described the arrests as a turning point in the fight against the armed group that since the 1960s has carried out bombings and assassinations in Spain for an independent Basque state.

Mikel Albizu and Iparraguirre, both aged 43, had been on the run since 1993.

They were with their daughter when they were arrested, police said. They had false papers and refused to answer questions but were identified by police agents and, Spain said, by their fingerprints.

ETA militants have long crossed into peaceful Basque provinces of southwest France to take refuge or make plans. French and Spanish authorities closely cooperate to hunt them down.

ETA is classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States. It has claimed or has been blamed for more than 800 deaths.

The Japan Times Weekly: Oct. 9, 2004
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