Six bombs explode in ETA attacks

At least six small bombs exploded in cities around Spain today after telephone warnings from callers claiming to speak on behalf of the armed Basque separatist group ETA, news reports said.

Explosions were reported in Leon and Santillana del Mar in the north, Avila and Ciudad Real in central Spain, Alicante in the east and Malaga in the south, the news agency Europa Press reported.

The Interior Ministry said it had confirmed at least three explosions, and that in two of them there were no injuries.

The blasts followed two telephone warnings to the Basque newspaper Gara from callers claiming to represent ETA that said bombs had been placed in seven cities throughout the country.

Before the blasts, the Interior Ministry had said the seven sites targeted - streets and plazas and a parking lot – had been evacuated and cordoned off.

Five small bombs exploded on Friday evening in Madrid after a similar call to Gara from a person claiming to speak for ETA. Damage was minor and two police officers were lightly injured. Gara often serves as a mouthpiece for ETA.

Another small bomb was defused on Saturday in the southern city of Almeria. Spanish security forces were on alert today, a public holiday marking the 26th anniversary of the passage of the Spanish constitution.

The document laid the groundwork for Spain’s system of granting broad autonomy to regions like the northern Basque country.

ETA wants outright independence for the region and has been blamed for more than 800 deaths in its decades-old campaign of violence.