Eta chief escapes from French jail

A man considered to be a top military chief of the Basque separatist organisation Eta has escaped from jail in south west France, police said today.

Ibon Femandez de Iradi escaped from Bayonne police station after being questioned on Saturday night but his absence went undetected until about 2am local time (1am Irish time).

Police launched a massive search for the Spaniard, wanted by Madrid in connection with numerous attacks.

The circumstances of his escape from the modern police station in the centre of Bayonne were not immediately clear.

Iradi was arrested on Thursday along with eight others in what Spain hailed as one of the biggest blows to the armed separatist organisation.

The five men and four women were due to be transferred to Paris for questioning by the special anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office later today.

Iradihad been captured by police as he drove with a woman in a car with stolen number plates.

They were caught on a country road near Bayonne. He had been sought for years by Spanish

police in connection with several attacks.

Eta is fighting for independence for the Spanish Basque region, in north eastern Spain. It is blamed for more than 800 deaths since 1968.