Two ETA members who collaborate with Justice affirm that the murder of Miguel Ángel Blanco could be prevented

One of the two ETA members who testified before the Information Headquarters of the Civil Guard (UCE-1) to give an account of how the terrorist organization worked told the investigators that in July 1997, when the PP councilor from Ermua Miguel Ángel Blanco, the leadership of ETA had the opportunity to stop his murder: “The Executive Committee could have prevented the commission of the murder of Miguel Ángel Blanco”.

As El Mundo advances and Europa Press has confirmed in legal sources, that would have been the literal used by the protected witness 001. From his statement before the Civil Guard and that of the other ETA member, it has also emerged that the ETA militants had a free hand to assassinate national police, military or civil guards, because they were “permanent” targets, but instead they had to consult with that Committee Executive if they intended to attack politicians or judges.

As this agency has been able to learn, in their statement they also indicated that in the event that a commando decided to attack a drug trafficker, it must also previously have the approval of the leadership..

It should be remembered that in 1980 the terrorist group issued a statement announcing that drug trafficking was becoming one of its objectives..

In addition, according to the book 'Vidas Rotas' (Espasa), which lists all those killed by ETA between 1960 and 2009, there were up to 32 people killed by the gang under the pretext that they were involved in drug trafficking..

The statement referring to the murder of Blanco could be of transcendence for the case that is being followed in the National Court to clarify the role of the ETA leaders. It was in March 2022 when Judge Manuel García Castellón agreed to reopen the investigation after admitting a complaint filed by the Dignity and Justice Association (DyJ) for processing..

In its letter, the association directed its accusation against the leaders of the gang at the time of the events: José Javier Arizcuren Ruiz, alias 'Kantauri'; Ignacio Miguel Gracia Arregui, alias 'Iñaki de Rentería'; Juan Carlos Iglesias Chouzas, 'Gaddafi'; Asier Oyarzabal, alias 'Baltza'; María Soledad Iparraguirre, 'Anboto'; Miguel Albisu Iriarte, 'Mikel Antza'; Vicente Goicoechea 'Willy'; Jokin Echevarria and Carlos Ibarguren 'Nerves'.

between the 80s and 90s

Former ETA militants, protected witnesses 001 and 002, remained in the band at different times –one of them in the 1980s and the other in the 1990s and early 2000s– and between them they have offered investigators a photograph of “the structure, operation and composition of the directive structures of the terrorist organization”.

In addition, they have revealed up to 12 names of ETA leaders who would have been in command at times when relevant attacks took place and who, as they would have explained, had to give the green light to go against those political objectives.. In the series José Antonio Urrutikoetxea, alias 'Josu Ternera', Santiago Arróspide, alias 'Santi Potros'; Eugenio Etxebeste Arizkuren, alias 'Antxon'; José Javier Zabaleta, alias 'Baldo'; Francisco Múgica Garmendia, 'Pakito'; Domingo Iturbe, 'Txomin' — already deceased –.

To those 'historicals' of the terrorist gang were added those of Mikel Albisu Iriarte, 'Mikel Antza'; Ignatius of Grace Arregi, 'Iñaki of Rentería'; Jose Javier Arizcuren Ruiz, 'Songwriter'; Javier Garcia Gazette, 'Txapote'; Julian Achurra Egurola, 'Pototo'; and Maria Soledad Iparraguirre, 'Anboto'.

Sources consulted point out that the first of the witnesses is the one who would have offered the names of the six from his stage plus that of another five of whom he knew both through his own knowledge and from other members of the organization with whom he shared prison, while the second would have corroborated and completed the list with a name more.

According to what has emerged from these two testimonies, the ETA members had to have the authorization of the heads of the terrorist organization to perpetrate the murders of politicians. And this extreme could be a fundamental test to demonstrate mediate authorship in cases such as that of Miguel Ángel Blanco or Gregorio Ordóñez.

In fact, Alejandro Abascal, who is the judge of the National Court that is investigating the alleged participation of the ETA leadership in the murder on January 23, 1995 in San Sebastián of the Popular Party councilor Gregorio Ordóñez, summoned the two ETA members to ratify in court what was said before the Civil Guard.

That appearance took place and both stressed that although to assassinate soldiers, civil guards or national police –objectives that they described as “permanent”– they did not need a green light from the top, for other objectives such as politicians or judges it was necessary..

Thus, for the moment, the testimony of the two ETA members has already been incorporated into the investigation of the murder of Gregorio Ordóñez. And given the importance of his story, the Dignity and Justice association submitted a brief before the National Court, to which Europa Press had access, in which it requested that a witnessed copy be made so that it could be incorporated into the rest of the cases open in the National Court and that they investigate the possible criminal responsibility of the leadership in certain ETA attacks.