National
The internet and a false number plate led to ETA terrorist chief
By h.b. - Nov 18, 2008 - 6:43 AM
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Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has welcomed the arrest in France about the ETA activist, Gariikoitz Aspiazu, known as ‘Txeroki’. Zapatero said that the top ETA activist had been captured.
It’s now known that the National Security Agency in the United States, a specialist in monitoring the Internet, gave information to the CNI, Spanish Secret Service, on the terrorist which proved key to his arrest, together with information on the previous registration numbers of a car. The Americans were monitoring two of his email accounts and Spanish Interior Minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, noted it had been known for some time that ETA activists were using Internet Cafes to communicate.
Txeroki and his girlfriend, Leire López, were also using registration numbers on the Peugeot 207 car they drove in France which were impossible, because of their age.
Following their arrest yesterday morning, when they were surprised in bed, the French Police searched the house and found pistols, computers and memory sticks, together with a wig and other disguise items.
Txeroki and López are still declaring to police in Bayonne, but are expected to be taken to Paris later today.