Tuesday, August 11, 2009

ETA struck again in Mallorca

Basque separatist terrorists have again tried to cause panic and hit tourism in Palma de Mallorca on Sunday.

A small bomb exploded in the false ceiling of a ladies' toilet at a beachfront restaurant at 14.20 hrs. This was after an anonymous call claiming to be from ETA to a taxi firm in the Basque Country warned of three bombs in the area.

Police say the artefact was tiny - some people in the restaurant said the sound was like ‘a big banger'. No-one was hurt, damage was limited and the bar was evacuated by its owner.

Guardia Civil and national and local police officers arrived at the scene minutes later and cordoned off about 250 metres of the beachfront including several neighbouring bars and restaurants. About an hour and a half later police evacuated a nearby bar and members of the bomb disposal squad activated a second small device. Again no-one was hurt.

Officers then searched the area further and found a suspicious rucksack in the Hotel Palacio Avenida, which was also evacuated.

The attacks come on the same day the terrorist group - which has killed about 850 people in the past 50 years - admitted responsibility for other attacks in the past two months, including a massive van bomb outside a barracks in Burgos and a car bomb that murdered two Guardia Civil officers in Mallorca.

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