Spanish police defuse bomb, ETA suspected

Spanish police have defused a small bomb in the southern city of Almeria, possibly planted by the Basque separatist group ETA…

Spanish police have defused a small bomb in the southern city of Almeria, possibly planted by the Basque separatist group ETA and set to explode on Monday, Spain's Constitution Day, officials said.

ETA set off five bombs simultaneously in Madrid on Friday night, the outlawed group's first serious attack in the capital in two years.

The latest bomb - hidden in a suitcase and left in a square in Almeria yesterday - was made with less than 200 grams of the ammonia-based explosive commonly used by ETA, the Interior Ministry said in a statement issued late last night.

A note bearing the initials ETA was found in the suitcase, the statement said.

The bomb had been set to go off at 12.30 p.m. (local time) on Monday, the anniversary of Spain's 1978 constitution.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter