Posted on 08/12/2004 10:31:34 AM PDT by TexKat
MADRID (Reuters) - Explosions hit two cities on Spain's north coast on Thursday after a newspaper received a warning call in the name of armed Basque separatist group ETA, and at least one person was injured, officials said.
A small bomb exploded in Santander close to a major office of Spain's top bank, Santander Central Hispano, but there were no reports of injuries, officials said.
Soon afterwards, police in Gijon reported that an explosion in that city had injured one person, though they could not immediately say whether it was a bomb.
Both Santander, a provincial capital, and Gijon are picturesque coastal cities packed with holidaymakers at this time of year.
A spokesman for SCH bank said: "There was a bomb in the (Santander street) where our historic headquarters is located. But our headquarters has not been damaged."
"It was a small explosion, like fireworks," the spokesman said.
A spokesman for the Basque regional police said a caller to the Basque newspaper Gara had warned that two small bombs had been placed in Santander.
Officials said the Santander device appeared to be similar to two bombs that exploded in Spanish resorts last weekend and were blamed on ETA. They caused no injuries and little damage.
Beaches at an eastern Spanish resort were evacuated briefly on Wednesday after what appeared to be a false bomb alert.
The rash of bomb alerts -- days after the government warned that ETA bombers might be trying to strike at the key tourism industry -- has fueled summer jitters in Spain.
ETA, which has killed 850 people since 1968 in a shooting and bombing campaign for an independent Basque state, regularly stages summer bombing campaigns in an attempt to undermine Spain's tourism industry, which accounts for more than one-tenth of the country's economy.
The group, branded a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, has not carried out a fatal attack for more than a year.
That worked so well. (Pulling out of Irag)
Are they expecting Espana to pullout of Basque territory now?
ETA now knows that enough bombs and the Socialista gov't will cave....
Geez. ANOTHER terrorist group to surrender to.
Naturally, the Demoncrats and other whackjob Leftists fail to understand this simple reality.
This has got to be Bush's fault!
When you give in to terrorists you are leaving yourself open to Bombings.
They understand it well enough. Dems are just too arrogant to realize reality trumps fantasy every time.
But...but...I thought if Spain pulled out of Iraq and appeased....well, you know!! </ sarcasm>
Well now. That isn't the way it was supposed to work, huh.
Ahhhh, the joys of appeasement.
Bon appetit.
My Prediction:
The government of Spain will next pack up and move all it's people to France.
I guess the next demand is all spaniards give terrorists homes to live in??
Gee.. we'd like to care. but we're busy in Iraq. Maybe France will care.......
Kind of sad to be laughing about this......but you made me laugh out loud with your comment about Spain moving all it's people to France.
Spain has decided to sleep with dogs (terrorists) and now they have to deal with fleas.
"Are they expecting Espana to pullout of Basque territory now?"
Why not! Spain now has the sensitive terrorist fighters in charge of their country.
They don't want your homes, they don't want your women...they want your farm animals.
No, the next demand will be for all spainards to get the hell up out of Spain, scoot, vamoose.That is Allah kabob willing.
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