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| Passengers return to the airport in the northern city of Santander, Spain, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005, after some 200 people were evacuated from the airport following a bomb warning made in the name of ETA. (Xinhua/Reuters) | MADRID, Dec. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Five small bombs exploded on the roads near Madrid on Tuesday following warnings from the Basque separatist group ETA, Spanish police said.
The five low-intensity bombs placed on roads near Madrid went off almost simultaneously at around 3:00 pm local time (1400 GMT), causing traffic disruption, police said.
According to the Interior Ministry, an anonymous caller claiming to represent the ETA told authorities at 2:06 pm (1306 GMT) that the group had placed five bombs on roads to Madrid and they would explode between 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm.
The bombs caused no casualties. This has been the second time the Basque group masterminded bomb attacks on Spanish Constitution Day. Seven light bombs exploded in seven cities of the country on Dec. 6 last year, slightly injuring 18 people.
Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso condemned the bomb attacks and reiterated the government's resolve to continue the fight against terrorism.
ETA, or Basque Homeland and Freedom, has been fighting for an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southwestern Francesince its founding in 1959.
It has been listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, which accuse it of resorting to assassinations, kidnappings and bombings to press for an independent state in the area. Enditem |