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Former Basque separatist group ETA leaders accused of 6 charges

Xinhua, September 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

French prosecutors on Sunday said that Itatxe Sorzabal and David Pla, members of Basque separatist group ETA, should face six charges, including that of leading a terrorist organization, and demanded them in custody until Wednesday.

Pla and Sorzabal are considered to be the leaders of ETA, whose armed struggle for the independence of the Basque region in northern Spain claimed 829 lives until the band declared a permanent ceasefire in October 2011 and the pair were part of the masked trio who made that declaration.

They were arrested by French police at a rural guesthouse in the southwest of France, along with two other people, Pantxo Flores, who is the owner of the guesthouse where they were detained, and a further person, who has not been named.

As well as charges of leading a terrorist organization, they have also been charged with "receiving money to finance terrorism," possession of weapons and ammunition, transport of weapons and ammunition, possession of weapons and ammunition which were the proceeds of an armed robbery, as well as possession of false documents.

While Pla is thought to have been more related to the political organization of ETA, Sorzabal is also wanted in Spain in connection with three assassinations and is more closely related to the military side of the organization. Endit