ETA blamed as blasts hit court and post office

Two small devices exploded early today outside a court and a post office in towns in the Basque region of northern Spain.

No group claimed responsibility for the explosions but the Basque regional government blamed the armed group ETA, which regularly targets political party offices and businesses with similar devices as part of its near 40-year-old campaign for an independent Basque state.

There were no reports of injuries.

Basque government spokeswoman Miren Azkarate told Spanish National Radio the explosions “were out of line with the path to peace”.

She called on ETA “in the name of the Basque people, to end the violence and let people live in peace”.

The Spanish government has offered to hold talks with the group if it renounces violence.