Aznar defiant after 'ETA-style' bombing

WEB EXCLUSIVE On the scene with Al Goodman in Madrid

MADRID, Spain -- The Spanish Government has vowed it will not engage in talks with ETA, after three people were killed in a car bomb explosion blamed on the Basque separatist group.

Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar called for democratic unity in the fight against ETA and declared "no one will force Spaniards to surrender in the face of threats or guns."

A Spanish Supreme Court judge, his bodyguard and driver were killed by a car bomb in the bloodiest attack blamed on the group since it called off a ceasefire last year.

More than 60 people were injured when the powerful blast tore through the affluent Arturo Soria district of Madrid during morning rush hour, setting a city bus ablaze, ripping down the facades of buildings and creating panic in the streets.

"It's like a scene out of Dante's 'Inferno,"' an emergency services spokesman said just minutes after the bombing.

IN-DEPTH Basque conflict: Violence in Spain   • Overview   • Living in fear   • Standing vigil   • ETA background   • Q&A on ETA   • ETA timeline   • Map: Violence   • Video archive   • Recent stories    VIDEO CNN's Al Goodman reports on the deadly blast. Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO Goodman reports that a Spanish magistrate died in the blast. 196K/35 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Goodman describes the scene of the blast. 195K/27 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

The explosion bore all the hallmarks of a recent wave of attacks by ETA, already linked to 16 previous killings since ending a 14-month-long truce last December.

But the latest bombing near one of the Spanish capital's busiest crossroads appeared to signal ETA's readiness to escalate its violent campaign to an even more brutal phase.

Among the dead was Judge Jose Francisco Querol Lombardero, a 69-year-old magistrate who was responsible for military hearings at the Supreme Court and held the rank of general in the armed forces reserve.

He was the highest-ranking Spanish official among ETA's presumed victims since it resumed killing in January.

The judge, his driver, Armando Medina Sanchez, and his bodyguard, Jesus Escudero Garcia, burned to death in their car.

Among the 66 injured, most suffered only cuts and bruises.

But six people were seriously hurt, including the driver of a bus that was stopped near the scene of the blast and an 11-year-old schoolgirl who was walking past.

The driver suffered head wounds and was in critical condition. His vehicle was left charred and mangled along with dozens of parked cars caught up in the fiery explosion.

Blood stained the pavement and shattered glass lay everywhere on the leafy suburban street in northeastern Madrid.

Dazed-looking survivors stood on the sidewalks, some still shaking with fear. Acrid smoke shrouded the area.

"I saw a man lying on the ground semi-conscious with blood on his shirt. The bus was burning...I couldn't look any longer," said the owner of a nearby video store.

Authorities believed a car packed with explosives was detonated by remote control as the judge's official vehicle drove past in the neighbourhood where he lived.

Police set up roadblocks but no arrests were made.

The attack was the bloodiest in the latest cycle of separatist violence, making this year's presumed ETA death toll the highest since 1992, when it was blamed for 26 assassinations.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's blast -- ETA usually waits weeks before doing so -- but officials said they had no doubt who was behind it.

King Juan Carlos offered condolences to the victims' families and a stern warning for ETA. "To the assassins, we express firm condemnation and the certainty that sooner or later, they will pay for their crimes," he said at a museum opening in Madrid.

The attack also drew harsh condemnation from the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who said terrorism and political violence were inexcusable.

Small anti-ETA protests were held in several cities on Monday night and larger demonstrations were planned across Spain on Tuesday following funerals for the three men.

ETA -- one of the last guerrilla organisations still active in Western Europe -- has been linked to about 800 deaths in its 32-year campaign for an independent Basque homeland carved out of northern Spain and southern France.

ETA is believed to be trying to force the centre-right government to negotiate on its demands for independence, something Aznar has vowed he will never do. Aznar has relied instead on a policy of cracking down on ETA militarily.

But despite a recent series of arrests, ETA has proved it is still capable of striking almost at will.

ETA considers Spain's judiciary -- like its other main targets, the security forces and mainstream political parties -- to be part of an "occupying force" in the Basque region.

Until now, ETA had mostly been picking off its victims one at a time with bullets and bombs.

The last killing was that of a prison officer who died in a car bombing on October 22.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Basque Autonomous Region
Spanish Interior Ministry

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