ETA fighters kill Spanish guard in southern France
{{date|December 1, 2007}}
{{ETA infobox}}A [[Spain|Spanish]] [[w:Guardia Civil|civil guard]] was killed today and another seriously wounded in the town of Capbreton, on the southwest coast of [[France]], in a shootout with suspected members of the [[w:Basque|Basque]] [[w:separatism|separatist]] group [[w:ETA|ETA]].

The events occurred around 8:30 a.m. UTC, when the two plainclothes guards were entering in their car after leaving a coffee shop in the locality. They were then assaulted by two men who fired on them. Agent Raul Centeno Pallón died on the scene instantly, while Fernando Trapero Blázquez was injured seriously and is in a [[w:Coma|coma]].

The civil guard were taking part in a joint surveillance operation with French police against ETA in southern France, when the two guardsmen were apparently detected and identified by the suspected ETA members. After the attack, the two suspected ETA members, and a woman who was with them, fled in a car. Having traveled about 70 kilometers, the two men abandoned the vehicle and robbed another car. The driver of the hijacked car was kidnapped, put in the trunk and finally left tied to a tree.

This is the first fatality blamed on ETA since it ended the last cease-fire in June, although it has carried out many non-fatal actions.

This incident comes a day after the [[w:Audiencia Nacional of Spain|National High Court of Spain]] issued arrest warrants to round up 46 of 52 Basque citizens prosecuted and sentenced previously on accusations of supporting ETA's separatist ideas.

{{haveyoursay}}
== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/12/01/spain.france/index.html
|title= ETA fighters kill Spanish guard
|author=
|pub=CNN
|date=December 1, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7122899.stm
|title= Eta blamed for killing in France
|author=
|pub=BBC News
|date=December 1, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071201/wl_nm/spain_france_dc;_ylt=AsBgvlQO0CrVu3C5acV4m.B0bBAF
|title= ETA gunmen kill Spanish policeman in France
|author=
|pub=Yahoo News
|date=December 1, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3224,36-984763@51-984764,0.html
|title= Un garde civil espagnol tué à Capbreton
|author=
|pub=Le Monde
|date=December 1, 2007
|lang=French}}
*{{source|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/12/01/espana/1196503716.html
|title= ETA mata a tiros a un guardia civil y hiere de gravedad a otro en el sur de Francia
|author=
|pub=El Mundo
|date=December 1, 2007
|lang=Spanish}}
*{{source|url=http://www.gara.net/azkenak/12/51251/es/Continuan-detenciones-procesados-sumario-18-98
|title=Continúan las detenciones de los procesados en el sumario 18/98
|author=
|pub=GARA
|date=December 1, 2007
|lang=Spanish}}

{{publish}}
{{Archived}}
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:Spain]]
[[Category:France]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:ETA]]

[[es:Militantes de ETA matan guardia civil español en el sur de Francia]]
[[pt:Militantes do ETA matam guarda civil espanhol no sul da França]]
A Spanish civil guard was killed today and another seriously wounded in the town of Capbreton, on the southwest coast of France, in a shootout with suspected members of the Basque separatist group ETA.

The events occurred around 8:30 a.m. UTC, when the two plainclothes guards were entering in their car after leaving a coffee shop in the locality. They were then assaulted by two men who fired on them. Agent Raul Centeno Pallón died on the scene instantly, while Fernando Trapero Blázquez was injured seriously and is in a coma.

The civil guard were taking part in a joint surveillance operation with French police against ETA in southern France, when the two guardsmen were apparently detected and identified by the suspected ETA members. After the attack, the two suspected ETA members, and a woman who was with them, fled in a car. Having traveled about 70 kilometers, the two men abandoned the vehicle and robbed another car. The driver of the hijacked car was kidnapped, put in the trunk and finally left tied to a tree.

This is the first fatality blamed on ETA since it ended the last cease-fire in June, although it has carried out many non-fatal actions.

This incident comes a day after the National High Court of Spain issued arrest warrants to round up 46 of 52 Basque citizens prosecuted and sentenced previously on accusations of supporting ETA's separatist ideas.


es:Militantes de ETA matan guardia civil español en el sur de Francia
Militantes do ETA matam guarda civil espanhol no sul da França
Europe Spain France Politics and conflicts ETA