SPAIN: ETA LOSES MORE KEY LEADERS, EXTENSIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MADRID 001072

SIPDIS

DEPT. FOR EUR/WE ALEX MCKNIGHT
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE STACIE ZERDECKI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2019
TAGS: PINR PINS PREL PTER SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN: ETA LOSES MORE KEY LEADERS, EXTENSIVE
SUPPLIES

REF: A. MADRID 775

B. MADRID 707

C. MADRID 499

D. MADRID 272

E. MADRID 139

F. 08 MADRID 1231

G. 08 MADRID 1055

H. 07 MADRID 1078

MADRID 00001072 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: ADCM William H. Duncan for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: Spanish and French security
forces have re-doubled their efforts against the Basque
Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorist group, following the
high-profile, deadly and destructive attacks that ETA
executed during July 29-30 to mark its 50th anniversary (Ref
A). Joint operations since then have notched a string of
notable successes, including the arrests of ETA's political
leader (who doubled as the group's propaganda spokesperson),
number-two military commander, logistics chief, and liaison
with ETA members abroad as well as 10 Basque nationalist
political figures aligned with ETA. Security forces also
seized more explosives and other supply material in one week
in August than at any other point in the past five years.
This cable discusses recent key events in reverse
chronological order. When viewed in the context of ongoing
pressure against ETA (Refs B-H) since the formal end of its
most recent ceasefire (2006-07),ETA faces a tremendous
shortfall of experienced leaders and increasingly scant
supplies. Post will provide Septel analysis on who's who
among ETA's remaining leadership.


2. (C) The domino effect of arrests is likely to continue as
the most recent detentions - and a trove of documents seized
as evidence - may lead to the identification and detention of
still others. Meanwhile, in continuing its longstanding
tit-for-tat relationship with the security services, look for
ETA to respond to the recent arrests and seizures by
conducting attacks where and when it can to buck up sagging
morale and show the public it remains a force to be reckoned
with. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT.

//Detention of Alleged Liaison with ETA Members Abroad//


3. (SBU) French authorities, supported by Spain's Civil Guard
(GC),on October 27 arrested Joseba Agudo, a longtime lawyer
for arrested ETA members, in Hendaya, France. He is accused
of being the chief of ETA's "Refugee Committee" and of
passing along direct orders from ETA during his visits to
numerous Spanish prisons and various travels to South America
and Europe. Agudo - whose role was brought to light through
documents seized during the 2008 arrest of longtime political
leader (2004-08) "Thierry" - reportedly encouraged ETA
members who had fled abroad to return to fight for the cause.


//ETA's Alleged Political Leader/Chief Spokesperson Arrested//


4. (SBU) A combined unit of French police and Spanish GC on
October 19 arrested ETA's alleged political leader, Aitor
Elizaran, in Carnac, Brittany. Although the Spanish press
initially provided conflicting reporting on Elizaran's exact
role, Rubalcaba in a press conference that same day
identified him as the highest-ranking official in ETA's
political apparatus and a member of the group's Executive
Committee. Longtime ETA military chief (2004-08) "Txeroki"
reportedly was influential in appointing Elizaran as
political chief shortly after May 2008, when Thierry was
detained. Elizaran, age 30, reportedly is the one who gave
political orders to ETA and to the "izquierda abertzale" (or
Basque patriotic left). Oihana San Vicente, a key deputy of
Elizaran's, also was arrested. Both were armed and carrying
false identification and computers. Rubalcaba publicly has
described the information gathered from the duo's arrest as
"very valuable."


5. (SBU) French and Spanish security forces reportedly
believe that Elizaran was dual-hatted as ETA's primary
spokesperson and served as one of the masked figures who
regularly appear in video communiques released by the
terrorist group. The vast array of items recovered from the
stolen car in which Elizaran was traveling led the Spanish
press to describe the vehicle as a kind of "mobile propaganda
unit." Among the items discovered were three sets of black
berets, white masks, and jackets embroidered with the ETA

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seal similar to those used in ETA's video messages. In the
house in Carnac where Elizaran was staying, police also found
a video library, ETA flags, and other assorted symbolic
emblems used during videotaped messages.

//Arrest of "Board of Directors" for Nascent, ETA-Aligned
Political Party//


6. (SBU) The detention of Elizaran and San Vicente occurred
six days after the detention of Arnaldo Otegi and nine other
leaders of the izquierda abertzale for trying to establish
"Bateragune" (whose name translates to "All Together") as a
replacement political party for Batasuna, which was outlawed
in 2003 for its ties to ETA. The suspects could face 15
years in jail for belonging to a terrorist group and for
obeying orders from ETA. It is believed that Elizaran was
delivering directives to the 10 suspects in this case,
although initial press reports have acknowledged that proof
of this may not (yet) be available. On October 16
Investigating Judge Baltasar Garzon of Spain's National Court
ordered Otegi, the former spokesman of Batasuna and the
public face of radical Basque nationalists, to be kept in
preventative detention. Otegi - whom Spanish security
services believe goes by the name of "Ronaldinho" in internal
ETA correspondence - also was reportedly was seen in France
with ETA members prior to the late July attacks that marked
ETA's 50th anniversary.

//ETA's Reported Number-Two Military Official Arrested//


7. (SBU) On October 11, alleged ETA members Iurgi Mendinueta
Mintego and Joanes Larretxea Mendiola were arrested in France
as part of a joint Spanish GC-French Police operation.
Mendinueta, who also reportedly was close to Txeroki,
reportedly was the number-two official in ETA's military wing
and had been on the lam since 2002. Some press reports
earlier this year had identified him as one of three likely
candidates to take over the military wing after Txeroki's
successor was arrested. Meanwhile, Larretxea's mug shot had
been included in a "Most Wanted" poster disseminated by the
Spanish Ministry of Interior after the late July 2009 ETA
attacks in Burgos and Mallorca, the latter of which claimed
two GC victims. Both men are believed to be part of ETA's
military arm, and they were arrested in possession of
weapons, detonators, detonator cords, fake documentation, and
various pen drives. At the suspected terrorist hide-out,
police discovered fake license plates and the machinery to
make them. Those operations were unrelated to the arrest of
another ETA member, Ibai Seuskun, in France on October 10.
Seuskun, on the run from Navarra police for over a year,
sought help for a gunshot wound in his hand, and the owners
of the farm were he sought aid turned him in to police after
he identified himself as an ETA member.

//Arrest of Trio, including Alleged Logistics Chief and
Senior Military Wing Official, ...//


8. (SBU) French security forces, aided by the Spanish
National Police, arrested three alleged members of ETA's
military logistics wing on the morning of August 19 in Le
Corbier, in the French Alps. Aitzol Etxaburu, Alberto
Machain Beraza, Andoni Sarasola - all reportedly armed and
carrying false identity papers - were allegedly in charge of
providing weapons and explosives to cells for terrorist
attacks in Spain. Extaburu, also known for his close ties to
Txeroki, had been on the run since his alleged involvement in
a 2005 car bomb attack in the Basque Region. He reportedly
became ETA's short-lived logistics chief following the July
2009 arrest of Itziar Plaza (see Ref B). Like Larretxea,
Machain rose to public prominence weeks earlier after his
picture appeared as one of the six ETA suspects wanted in
connection with the late July 2009 ETA attacks. Sarasola, a
one-time candidate for the radical left in local politics,
was profiled in the Spanish media earlier this year as one of
the three top leaders - along with Mendinueta - of ETA's
military wing following the back-to-back arrests of Txeroki
and his successor in late 2008. Sarasola's brother, Martin,
was one of the those responsible for the deadly December 2006
bombing of the T4 parking garage at the Madrid airport that
brought a de facto end to ETA's "permanent unilateral
ceasefire."

//... Leads to Largest Arms Cache Seizures Since 2004//


9. (C) In the week following the August 19 arrests, French

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and Spanish authorities located 14 "zulos" or hidden arms
caches in France. These raids resulted in the capture of
nearly a ton of explosives, more than 200 kilos of ammonium
nitrate, dozens of weapons, 7,000 rounds of ammunition, 150
license plates, roughly 250 detonators, a slew of documents,
forged ID cards, radios, mobile phone cards, tools for
stealing cars, etc. Two ETA caches discovered on August 20
alone exceeded the total amount of explosive material seized
from ETA in all of 2008 and together was sufficient to have
made 100 limpet bombs or to have carried out at least 50
attacks, according to the media. In a rare public statement,
Parisian prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin told reporters on
August 25 that the week-long crackdown was "a major blow to
ETA's supply network. There hasn't been a find on this scale
since 2004." Oscar Beltran, editor of Bilbao-based El Correo
newspaper, was more skeptical, however, noting ETA
traditionally safeguards its operations by compartmentalizing
its members' knowledge and duplicating its efforts. On
September 9 he told POLOFF that while the arrest of these
three individuals led to the seizure of 14 zulos, it is very
likely another three individuals know of another 14 zulos.
CHACON