Shoot out in Spain leaves one Spanish Civil guard Killed

 

 

The Report:

 

MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanish Civil Guard policeman was killed and a second officer wounded Tuesday in a shootout with two suspected members of the Basque separatist group ETA.

One suspect was wounded and taken into custody. The second suspect fled and hijacked a car at gunpoint to make his escape, according to reports.

A senior government official on the scene, Francisco Javier Ansuategui, told CNN Plus the two are suspected members of ETA and apparently were in the Madrid area to carry out attacks.

State television later reported that officials said the two had a car bomb they were planning to set off as early as Wednesday.

The man in custody was identified as Gotzon Aramburu, a suspected ETA collaborator, state television said.

The wounded civil guardsmen was in stable condition with slight injuries and the wounded suspect was more seriously injured, state television reported.

ETA is blamed for killing more than 800 people in more than 30 years. The most recent previous death was in September, when a civil guard officer was killed in the explosion of a booby-trapped banner calling for Basque independence.

The group is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Tuesday's shootout occurred about 4 p.m. at an impromptu civil guard check point on a highway 38 kilometers northwest of Madrid, state television reported.

The officials said the guards became suspicious of the vehicle when they noticed it had false license plates. They approached the car and the suspects opened fire, state television reported.

After the shootout, police explosives experts rushed to the scene to check the vehicle, state radio reported. Authorities set off a small explosive charge to open it.

Immediately after the small explosion there was a much larger one, leading authorities to believe the vehicle had been layered with explosives, state radio reported.

The vehicle had been stolen in France last month, the reports said.

The dead civil guardsman was identified as Antonio Molina. He was about 30 years old and had a wife and daughter, state radio reported.

Flags will fly at half-staff Wednesday in his honor, state radio said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/12/17/spain.shooting/index.html