Police unsure of more ETA attacks

SPANISH police were still unsure whether the Basque terrorist group ETA was planning more attacks on Majorca following its planting of at least three bombs.

They admitted they did not even know if the bombers were still on the island.

“We have to work on both hypotheses: that they are still here and that they may have quit the island,” said Regional Interior Ministry representative Ramon Socias.

He said police investigations should establish whether the small blasts were triggered by timers. If they were, the devices could have been planted days in advance and given ETA ample time to escape undetected.

The blasts, which caused no injuries and little damage, came barely a week after ETA killed two police officers in another bomb attack on Majorca.

Police also are trying to establish if the same ETA unit was responsible for all the blasts.

King Juan Carlos, who is on the Spanish royal family’s annual holiday on the island, denounced the attacks.

“That band of murderers and scoundrels will neither alter Spanish democratic life nor normality on the island,” he said during talks with police chiefs on the island.

Two bombs exploded on Sunday in the women’s toilets in a bar and in an underground shopping area in Palma. Police defused a third bomb that was left in another city bar but did not explode.

Police were also investigating whether a small explosion at another bar represented a fourth bomb. That blast was initially ruled a gas explosion. The bar was closed at the time.

A taxi company in mainland Spain received telephoned warnings in the name of ETA before the explosions.

Authorities believe the latest bombings are aimed at striking fear among tourists at the height of the summer holiday season. In past years, ETA often has sought to harm the tourist industry by planting small bombs in resort areas.

Majorca is one of Europe’s main tourist destinations, particularly among Britons and Germans. In June, about 2.6 million passengers used the airport while more than 22 million passed through it last year.

German ambassador to Spain Wolf-Ruthart Born told SER radio that German tourists should exercise caution when travelling in Spain – but should keep coming.

“Spain continues to be the prime tourism destination for Germans despite everything and Germans want to continue coming to Mallorca,” he said. “If the king is in Majorca, then Germans can obviously come too.”