The political leader of the Basque separatists is arrested in France

The former political leader of the Basque separatist organization, this Urruticoechea Bengechea was arrested by the French police after 17 years of search. The 68-year-old politician, known under the nickname of Jos-Tutin, is suspected of organizing a series of terrorist attacks with numerous human victims. The newspaper El Mundo reports about his detention with reference to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Spain.

This, recognized by the terrorist grouping by the EU and the USA by the EU and the USA, advocated the independence of the Basque Country - the region on the border of Spain and France. The organization began its activity in the 60s, calling terrorist attacks the only way of political struggle in dictatorship. However, after the democratization of Spain, the group did not stop armed resistance. According to the France authorities, 854 people were killed at the hands of its militants, several thousand were injured or were forced to live under the threat of attack.

Josos-Tetanin joined this in the early 70s. He participated in the organization of the murder of Spanish Prime Minister Luis Carrero Blanc in 1973. In the 80s, he headed the organization. The investigation has responsible for numerous attacks, including explosions in Madrid, Barcelona and Saragos in 1986-1988, in which 45 people were killed, including five children.

• In 1998, Bengechea was elected to the parliament of the Basque country from the separatist party "Citizens of Baskonia". In parliament, he headed the Human Rights Commission, at the same time engaged in journalism.
• In 2011, this one announced the ceasefire, in 2018, Bengechea announced the dissolution of the organization, promising that the former members of the organization would continue to fight for the "independent, socialist and non -patriarchal country of the Basque."

• The Spanish government welcomed the dissolution of the organization, but reported that its former members involved in criminal offenses would continue to be persecuted by the authorities. In France, Bengechea was in absentia to eight years in prison for leadership in a terrorist organization. It is expected that Spain will demand his extradition on charges of organizing a terrorist attack in Saragos and participation in other crimes.