2009 Palma Nova bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Palma Nova bombing occurred on July 30, 2009 when a limpet bomb
went off outside a Civil Guard
barracks in the town of Palma Nova
, Majorca, Spain. The bomb was placed under a patrol car
and two Civil Guard officers died as a result of the explosion. A second device was found under another Civil Guard vehicle at nearby barracks and safely exploded by police. On August 9, the Basque nationalist
and separatist
organisation ETA
claimed responsibility for the attack, while four other bombs exploded around restaurants and shopping centres in Palma, Majorca, causing no injuries.
The bombing was ETA's first attack in Majorca since it tried to kill King Juan Carlos I in the summer of 1995, and its deadliest attack since it killed two Civil Guard officers in Capbreton
, France in 2007. The attack came on the eve of the 50th anniversary of ETA's founding, and days before the King's yearly visit to Majorca.
, and conversations between Batasuna
, ETA and the Basque and Spanish governments started. Peace talks ended in December, when ETA broke the truce with a massive car bomb at the Madrid-Barajas Airport. ETA officially ended the ceasefire in 2007 and resumed its attacks around Spain. At the same time, dozens of members were arrested by Spanish and French police. Despite that, the organisation did not lose the capacity of carrying out attacks.
In 2009, Patxi López
became the first non-nationalist lendakari since the 1979 Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country
. On June 19, ETA killed inspector Eduardo Puelles García in Arrigorriaga
near Bilbao
, Biscay
, when a bomb attached to his car exploded
, and on July 9, a powerful bomb exploded in a Socialist Workers' Party
local office in Durango
, Biscay, causing no injuries. In late July, it was reported that ETA was preparing its "summer campaign", with Spanish police looking for several vans the organisation had ready to explode. On July 29, a van
loaded with 300 kilograms (661.4 lb) of explosives went off in front of a Civil Guard barracks in Burgos, injuring 70, including women and children.
The bombing was the first time since 2007 in which ETA killed more than one person in one of its attacks. On December 2, 2007 two undercover
Civil Guards were shot dead in the French town of Capbreton, Aquitaine
. It was also the deadliest attack in Spanish soil since the Madrid-Barajas Airport.
The attack was the first time ETA had killed in Majorca, one of the Spanish regions less targeted by ETA. On August 18, 1977 a bomb was deactivated next to a seafront walk. On July 31, 1991 two people were injured after two bombs went off in Palma. Two months later, a car bomb was defused in Palma's main beach. In the summer of 1995, Spanish authorities dismantled a cell of ETA ready to shoot king Juan Carlos I. In 2005, the organisation attempted the magnicide once more in Majorca.
went off, killing officers Carlos Saénz de Tejada García and Diego Salva Lezaun. One of the officers died instantly, while paramedics failed to resuscitate
the other officer. Both officers were inside the car when the bomb exploded. The vehicle had been parked in the Na Boira street, in front of a government-owned building used as a post office
and Civil Guard barracks, among other functions. Many hotels are located in the area, something which caused many foreign tourists, mainly German and British, to witness the blast.
After the attack, authorities started to look for other possible bombs in the area, with the Civil Guard giving the order to search in all barracks on the island. Soon after, a detection dog
found a bomb attached to another Civil Guard Nissan Patrol parked in front of a barracks located 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from where the first bomb had exploded. The area was cordoned off and people evacuated from nearby houses and hotels. At 6:30 pm, Civil Guard bomb disposal
officers TEDAX carried out a controlled explosion. The bomb had been placed in a broken down vehicle and was therefore not in use.
On July 31, a funeral was held at the Cathedral of Santa Maria in Palma. The service was attended by Primer Minister
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
and Prince
and Princess
of Asturias, Felipe
and Letizia
. Other people attending the mass were leader of the opposition Mariano Rajoy
, Minister of the Interior
Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba
and Patxi López, among others. At least 2,000 gathered outside of the cathedral and a minute of silence
was held across Spain in memory of the dead.
and all ports were temporarily closed. The airport was closed at 4:00 pm and was re-opened at 5:55 pm, with several flights being delayed. During the rest of the afternoon, the ports were re-opened as well.
The day after the attack, Spanish police released the picture of six members of ETA who could have possibly taken part in the bombing. Police named the suspects as Itziar Martínez Moreno, Iratxe Yáñez Ortiz de Barrón, Alberto Beraza Machain, Oroitz Gurruchaga Gogorza, Joanes Larretxea Mendiola and Iván Sáez de Jáuregui Ortigosa, although no direct evidence linked them to the attack. Meanwhile, at least 1600 police officers were deployed to keep checking around the island, including on fisherman
. The intense search was still active in mid August.
, Rodríguez Zapatero blamed both bombings "on the terrorist group ETA" and vowed to bring all of its members to justice: "They have no chance to hide, they can't flee, they can't escape justice, they will be arrested, they will be sentenced, they will spend their lives in jail". When arriving on Majorca on August 1 for his yearly summer holidays King Juan Carlos I condemned the attack and vowed to "go on and on hitting them in the head and we must fight to stop them". Condemnation also came from governments worldwide following the bombing:
The European Commission
condemned the bombing and gave its "total solidarity to the Spanish people and institutions". German Chancellor
Angela Merkel
condemned the attack, and gave Rodriguez Zapatero her support in "the fight against terrorism". The Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs
condemned the killing. Then Foreign Minister
of Argentina Jorge Taiana
condemned the Majorca and Burgos attacks.
of Calvià, warning that three bombs would go off in Palma. Half an hour later, another person also speaking on behalf of ETA called a taxi company in Gipuzkoa, giving details of the location and time the bombs would explode. Finally, another warning call was mistakenly made to the personal mobile phone of an inhabitant of Córdoba
. Authorities reported that the bombers had given contradicting details in each call, leading to confusion on the location of the bombs.
The first bomb exploded at 12:00 pm in the bar "Nica", located in the avenue Comte de Sallent. The explosion was at first not reported, with authorities believing it was a gas explosion
. The second bomb exploded at around 2:25 pm in the "La Rigoletta" restaurant, in front of one of Palma's main beaches. The third bomb went off at around 4:00 pm in another restaurant, named "Enco". The fourth device exploded around 6:00 pm in a shopping mall located next to the main square of Palma. As a result of the few details given by the warning calls, police failed to evacuate the attacked restaurants. Nonetheless, no one was injured.
Regarding the August 8 bombings, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba did not rule out any possibility, although he confirmed that the hypothesis of the bombers leaving the island before the attack was "reasonable", due to the timer devices. All of the bombs had been planted in women's toilets, which led authorities to believe that they had been set by one of the two female suspects, Itziar Martínez Moreno and Iratxe Yáñez Ortiz.
in Savoy
, next to the French Alps
. He was held along with fellow ETA members Aitzol Etxaburu and Andoni Sarasola. They were responsible for ETA’s logistics operation, and had the job of supplying weapons and explosives to the ETA cells operating in Spanish soil. The arrest led to the discovery of almost a tone of explosives, hidden by ETA in 12 small caches around France. On October 11, Joanes Larretxea was arrested in Rivières, Gard
along with top ETA member Iurgi Mendinueta Mintegi.
Iratxe Yañez Ortiz was arrested on January 10, 2010 in Portugal after she was stopped in a routine traffic check-point in the Spanish town of Bermillo de Sayago
, next to Spain-Portugal border. Yañez Ortiz was arrested along another member of ETA, Garikoitz García Arrieta, who was driving a van containing 10 kilograms (22 lb) of explosives, two pistols, a rifle
and bomb-making material. She was extradited to Spain on October 28, 2010.
Limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
went off outside a Civil Guard
Civil Guard (Spain)
The Civil Guard is the Spanish gendarmerie. It has foreign peace-keeping missions and maintains military status and is the equivalent of a federal military-status police force. As a police force, the Guardia Civil is comparable today to the French Gendarmerie, the Italian Carabinieri and the...
barracks in the town of Palma Nova
Palma Nova
Palma Nova is a town on the Spanish Balearic island of Majorca, in the municipality of Calvià.Palma Nova was one of the first purpose-built tourist destinations on the island, catering for all tastes. The town is frequented by a range of socio-economic groups due to the proximity with both the...
, Majorca, Spain. The bomb was placed under a patrol car
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
and two Civil Guard officers died as a result of the explosion. A second device was found under another Civil Guard vehicle at nearby barracks and safely exploded by police. On August 9, the Basque nationalist
Basque nationalism
Basque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...
and separatist
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
organisation ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
claimed responsibility for the attack, while four other bombs exploded around restaurants and shopping centres in Palma, Majorca, causing no injuries.
The bombing was ETA's first attack in Majorca since it tried to kill King Juan Carlos I in the summer of 1995, and its deadliest attack since it killed two Civil Guard officers in Capbreton
Capbreton
Capbreton is a commune of around 7500 inhabitants in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France. Located at the mouth of the Boudigau and Bourret rivers, the town is situated about 40 km to the north of Biarritz.The town is a popular holiday destination for sailers, surfers,...
, France in 2007. The attack came on the eve of the 50th anniversary of ETA's founding, and days before the King's yearly visit to Majorca.
Background
In mid-2006, the organisation declared a ceasefireETA's 2006 ceasefire declaration
The ETA's 2006 "permanent ceasefire" was the period spanning between 24 March and 30 December 2006 during which, following an ETA communiqué, the Spanish government, led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero on one side, and the militant group on the other, engaged in talks as a means to agree on a...
, and conversations between Batasuna
Batasuna
Batasuna was a Basque nationalist political party based mainly in Spain, where it was outlawed in 2003, after a court ruling declared proven that the party was financing ETA with public money. Batasuna is included in the "European Union list of terrorist persons and organizations" as a component...
, ETA and the Basque and Spanish governments started. Peace talks ended in December, when ETA broke the truce with a massive car bomb at the Madrid-Barajas Airport. ETA officially ended the ceasefire in 2007 and resumed its attacks around Spain. At the same time, dozens of members were arrested by Spanish and French police. Despite that, the organisation did not lose the capacity of carrying out attacks.
In 2009, Patxi López
Patxi López
Francisco Javier López Álvarez is a Spanish socialist politician and the current president of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country...
became the first non-nationalist lendakari since the 1979 Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country
Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country
The Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country is the legal document organizing the political system of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country' which includes the historical territories of Alava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa. It forms the region into one of the autonomous communities envisioned in...
. On June 19, ETA killed inspector Eduardo Puelles García in Arrigorriaga
Arrigorriaga
Arrigorriaga is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. Arrigorriaga is located 7 km south of Bilbao and is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area...
near Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
, when a bomb attached to his car exploded
, and on July 9, a powerful bomb exploded in a Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
local office in Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
, Biscay, causing no injuries. In late July, it was reported that ETA was preparing its "summer campaign", with Spanish police looking for several vans the organisation had ready to explode. On July 29, a van
2009 Burgos bombing
The 2009 Burgos bombing occurred on July 29, 2009, when at least 65 people were injured after a van bomb carrying more than 300 kg of explosive went off outside a Civil Guard barracks in the northern city of Burgos, Spain. The attack was blamed on Basque separatist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna...
loaded with 300 kilograms (661.4 lb) of explosives went off in front of a Civil Guard barracks in Burgos, injuring 70, including women and children.
The bombing was the first time since 2007 in which ETA killed more than one person in one of its attacks. On December 2, 2007 two undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
Civil Guards were shot dead in the French town of Capbreton, Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
. It was also the deadliest attack in Spanish soil since the Madrid-Barajas Airport.
The attack was the first time ETA had killed in Majorca, one of the Spanish regions less targeted by ETA. On August 18, 1977 a bomb was deactivated next to a seafront walk. On July 31, 1991 two people were injured after two bombs went off in Palma. Two months later, a car bomb was defused in Palma's main beach. In the summer of 1995, Spanish authorities dismantled a cell of ETA ready to shoot king Juan Carlos I. In 2005, the organisation attempted the magnicide once more in Majorca.
Attack
At 1:50 pm, a 3 kilograms (6.6 lb) bomb placed under a Civil Guard Nissan PatrolNissan Patrol
The Nissan Patrol is a four-wheel drive vehicle manufactured by Nissan in Japan since 1951. In Japan since 1980, it has been known as the Nissan Safari. The Patrol is available in Australasia, Central and South America, South Africa, parts of Southeast Asia and Western Europe as well as Iran and...
went off, killing officers Carlos Saénz de Tejada García and Diego Salva Lezaun. One of the officers died instantly, while paramedics failed to resuscitate
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
the other officer. Both officers were inside the car when the bomb exploded. The vehicle had been parked in the Na Boira street, in front of a government-owned building used as a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and Civil Guard barracks, among other functions. Many hotels are located in the area, something which caused many foreign tourists, mainly German and British, to witness the blast.
After the attack, authorities started to look for other possible bombs in the area, with the Civil Guard giving the order to search in all barracks on the island. Soon after, a detection dog
Detection dog
A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to and works at using its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, or blood. Hunting dogs that search for game and search dogs that search for missing humans are generally not considered detection dogs...
found a bomb attached to another Civil Guard Nissan Patrol parked in front of a barracks located 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from where the first bomb had exploded. The area was cordoned off and people evacuated from nearby houses and hotels. At 6:30 pm, Civil Guard bomb disposal
Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
officers TEDAX carried out a controlled explosion. The bomb had been placed in a broken down vehicle and was therefore not in use.
Victims
- Diego Salvá Lezaun (PamplonaPamplonaPamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, 1981) lived in Majorca and became a Givil Guard on August 25, 2008. He started working as an internInternInternship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
on January 31, 2009. A few months later, he suffered a motorbike accident which left him several weeks in coma. Once he recovered, he was assigned to the Palma Nova barracks, just four days before the attack took place. He was buried in Palma.
- Carlos Sáenz de Tejada García (Burgos, 1980) tried to join the National Police Corps after finishing his high school studies. He failed to do so and became a member of the Spanish ArmySpanish ArmyThe Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...
, being stationed in an army barracks in Castrillo del ValCastrillo del ValCastrillo del Val is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 515 inhabitants....
. He joined the Civil Guard on February 18, 2008, and was sent to Majorca on July 19. He had some relatives affected by the July 29 bombing in Burgos, where he was buried.
Aftermath
Prime Minister of Spain
The President of the Government of Spain , sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the head of Government of Spain. The current office is established under the Constitution of 1978...
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
and Prince
Prince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias is the historical title given to the heir to the Spanish throne. It was also the title under the earlier Kingdom of Castile. The current Prince of Asturias is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía...
and Princess
Princess of Asturias
This is a list of women who held the title Princess of Asturias by marriage.The title was created in 1388 for the future Henry III of Castile and Catherine of Lancaster. A part of the pact was to gran the young couple the title of Prince and Princess of Asturias, which was modelled after that of...
of Asturias, Felipe
Felipe, Prince of Asturias
Felipe, Prince of Asturias de Borbón y de Grecia; born 30 January 1968), is the third child and only son of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain....
and Letizia
Letizia, Princess of Asturias
Letizia, Princess of Asturias , is the wife of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne...
. Other people attending the mass were leader of the opposition Mariano Rajoy
Mariano Rajoy
Mariano Rajoy Brey is a Spanish People's Party politician and is the Prime Minister-elect since 20 November 2011. He will be sworn into office in mid-December 2011....
, Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior (Spain)
The Ministry of Interior of Spain which historically could be known as Ministerio de la Gobernación, Ministerio del Orden Público, Ministerio del Interior y la Gobernación or Ministerio del Interior y Justicia is the executive branch responsible for policing, national security, and immigration...
Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba
Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba
Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is a Spanish politician and a leading figure in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He served in the government of Spain as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and as Minister of the Interior from 2006 to 2011; in addition, he was First Deputy Prime Minister from...
and Patxi López, among others. At least 2,000 gathered outside of the cathedral and a minute of silence
Moment of silence
A moment of silence is the expression for a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of respect, particularly in mourning for those who have recently died or as part of a commemoration ceremony...
was held across Spain in memory of the dead.
Operation Cage
Right after the attack, and suspecting that the bombers were still on the island, the Civil Guard and the National Police Corps launched a lockdown, an operation named Operation Cage , the biggest manhunt in the history of the island. Similar operations had been done around Spain in other attacks, such as in the 2004 Madrid train bombings. Checkpoints were set up across the island, while the Palma de Mallorca AirportPalma de Mallorca Airport
Palma de Mallorca Airport is an airport located east of Palma, Majorca, adjacent to the village of Can Pastilla. Also known as Son Sant Joan Airport or Aeroport de Son Sant Joan, it is the third largest airport in Spain, after Madrid's Barajas Airport and Barcelona Airport...
and all ports were temporarily closed. The airport was closed at 4:00 pm and was re-opened at 5:55 pm, with several flights being delayed. During the rest of the afternoon, the ports were re-opened as well.
The day after the attack, Spanish police released the picture of six members of ETA who could have possibly taken part in the bombing. Police named the suspects as Itziar Martínez Moreno, Iratxe Yáñez Ortiz de Barrón, Alberto Beraza Machain, Oroitz Gurruchaga Gogorza, Joanes Larretxea Mendiola and Iván Sáez de Jáuregui Ortigosa, although no direct evidence linked them to the attack. Meanwhile, at least 1600 police officers were deployed to keep checking around the island, including on fisherman
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
. The intense search was still active in mid August.
Reactions
During a press conference at the Moncloa PalacePalacio de la Moncloa
The Palace of Moncloa or Moncloa Palace , located in the Ciudad Universitaria ward of Madrid , has been the official residence for the Prime Minister of Spain since 1977, when Adolfo Suárez moved the residence from the Villamejor Palace on the Paseo de la Castellana...
, Rodríguez Zapatero blamed both bombings "on the terrorist group ETA" and vowed to bring all of its members to justice: "They have no chance to hide, they can't flee, they can't escape justice, they will be arrested, they will be sentenced, they will spend their lives in jail". When arriving on Majorca on August 1 for his yearly summer holidays King Juan Carlos I condemned the attack and vowed to "go on and on hitting them in the head and we must fight to stop them". Condemnation also came from governments worldwide following the bombing:
The European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
condemned the bombing and gave its "total solidarity to the Spanish people and institutions". German Chancellor
Chancellor of Germany
The Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
condemned the attack, and gave Rodriguez Zapatero her support in "the fight against terrorism". The Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs
Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (Mexico)
The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for Mexico's foreign affairs.-Missions:Mexico currently has:* 73 Embassies* 33 Consulates-Generals* 35 Consulates...
condemned the killing. Then Foreign Minister
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship is the Argentine government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Argentina.The current Chancellor is Héctor Timerman.-External links:...
of Argentina Jorge Taiana
Jorge Taiana
Jorge Enrique Taiana is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician, formerly Foreign Minister in the government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, after occupying the same post during the previous government of Néstor Kirchner...
condemned the Majorca and Burgos attacks.
August bombings
On August 9, the same day ETA claimed responsibility for the July 30 attack, four bombs exploded in three restaurants and one shopping centre around Palma. The bombs, which contained small amounts of explosives and caused little damage and no injuries, went off after three warning calls from ETA. At 11:16 am local time, a man speaking on behalf of ETA called the firefightersFirefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
of Calvià, warning that three bombs would go off in Palma. Half an hour later, another person also speaking on behalf of ETA called a taxi company in Gipuzkoa, giving details of the location and time the bombs would explode. Finally, another warning call was mistakenly made to the personal mobile phone of an inhabitant of Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
. Authorities reported that the bombers had given contradicting details in each call, leading to confusion on the location of the bombs.
The first bomb exploded at 12:00 pm in the bar "Nica", located in the avenue Comte de Sallent. The explosion was at first not reported, with authorities believing it was a gas explosion
Gas explosion
A gas explosion is an explosion resulting from a gas leak in the presence of an ignition source. The principal explosive gases are natural gas, methane, propane and butane, because they are widely used for heating purposes. However, many other gases like hydrogen, are combustible and have caused...
. The second bomb exploded at around 2:25 pm in the "La Rigoletta" restaurant, in front of one of Palma's main beaches. The third bomb went off at around 4:00 pm in another restaurant, named "Enco". The fourth device exploded around 6:00 pm in a shopping mall located next to the main square of Palma. As a result of the few details given by the warning calls, police failed to evacuate the attacked restaurants. Nonetheless, no one was injured.
Investigation
Authorities rapidly ruled out the possibility that ETA had a cell in the island, with police believing the attack had been carried out by a unit that had travelled to the island specifically to carry it out. Initial reports stated that the bombers had set the bomb off with a remote control. Once the second bomb was spotted, police announced that it had a timer device, which could have allowed the members of ETA to plant the bomb several days before the attack and leave the island. Earlier, Government delegate for Majorca, Ramon Socías, had said that security forces believed that the bombers had not left Majorca, and were hiding on the island, waiting for the situation to cool down before attempting to leave.Regarding the August 8 bombings, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba did not rule out any possibility, although he confirmed that the hypothesis of the bombers leaving the island before the attack was "reasonable", due to the timer devices. All of the bombs had been planted in women's toilets, which led authorities to believe that they had been set by one of the two female suspects, Itziar Martínez Moreno and Iratxe Yáñez Ortiz.
Arrests
On August 19, Alberto Matxain Beraza was arrested in the French town of Le CorbierLe Corbier
Le Corbier is a ski resort located in the Les Sybelles region of the French Alps, it is the fourth largest ski area in France with 310 km linked by lifts and pistes. The longest run is 2.9 km. It has a mixture of all the coloured slopes and is 1550 metres above sea-level. There are 26 chair lifts...
in Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
, next to the French Alps
French Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
. He was held along with fellow ETA members Aitzol Etxaburu and Andoni Sarasola. They were responsible for ETA’s logistics operation, and had the job of supplying weapons and explosives to the ETA cells operating in Spanish soil. The arrest led to the discovery of almost a tone of explosives, hidden by ETA in 12 small caches around France. On October 11, Joanes Larretxea was arrested in Rivières, Gard
Rivières, Gard
Rivières, sometimes referred to as Rivières-de-Theyrargues, is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
along with top ETA member Iurgi Mendinueta Mintegi.
Iratxe Yañez Ortiz was arrested on January 10, 2010 in Portugal after she was stopped in a routine traffic check-point in the Spanish town of Bermillo de Sayago
Bermillo de Sayago
Bermillo de Sayago is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2009 census , the municipality has a population of 1,259 inhabitants. It works as the territorial capital of Sayago, leading this comarca but with no official status. Its central...
, next to Spain-Portugal border. Yañez Ortiz was arrested along another member of ETA, Garikoitz García Arrieta, who was driving a van containing 10 kilograms (22 lb) of explosives, two pistols, a rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
and bomb-making material. She was extradited to Spain on October 28, 2010.