Small bombs set off in Northern Spain

Small bombs were set off in two places in northern Spain today, causing minor damage, and police blamed the Basque separatists Eta.

One device left outside a court in the town of Estella slightly injured a man driving past in a van when it detonated.

Petrol drums were set on fire by another small device outside the home of a Socialist councillor to the west in Bilbao. No one was hurt.

The violent Eta group has often used bombs in its three-decade campaign for an independent Basque homeland.

The group has claimed or been blamed for more than 800 deaths.

“The terrorists wanted to break the tranquility at a point along the Road to Santiago on a day like today, the feast day of Santiago,” Estella mayor Maria Jose Fernandez said after the blast there.

Thirteen people were hurt earlier this week when small bombs went off at two tourist hotels on the Costa Blanca. Police blamed Eta.