Bomb blast in Spain injures at least 5

March 6, 2000
Web posted at: 7:57 p.m. EST (0057 GMT)

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain (CNN) -- A car bomb exploded in this northern Basque city Monday night, wounding at least five people, two of them seriously. Officials blamed Basque separatists.

The bomb went off as a Civil Guard vehicle drove by in an area near the city's major Civil Guard barracks. The paramilitary Civil Guard has been involved in the fight against guerrillas who are demanding a separate Basque state.

Two Civil Guard members and three civilians were hurt in the bombing, a Red Cross spokesman. The attack came just six days before a Spanish general election.

Witnesses said the bomb exploded on a residential street. It set fire to one car, flipped another on its side and blew out windows in nearby buildings. The injured were rushed to a local hospital.

State radio reported that two of the victims were seriously hurt but that their injuries were not life-threatening.

Police cordoned off the area but made no immediate arrests.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. But officials suspected it was the work of ETA, which has been blamed for about 800 deaths in its three-decade-long fight for an independent Basque state.

The rebels called off a 14-month cease-fire late last year.

There have been two fatal car bombings since January blamed on the rebels. The two bombings killed three people: a senior politician, an army officer and a policeman.

Monday's bombing comes just six days before the country's general elections.

The center-right government led by Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has taken a tough stance against the ETA rebels and is ahead of its opponents, according to latest opinion polls.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Basque History and Historical Documents
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
Association for Peace in the Basque Country
El Gobierno Informa (in Spanish)
CIA World Factbook -- Spain

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