ETA bombs five gas stations in Madrid

The Basque separatist group ETA was blamed for five explosions at gas stations in the Spanish capital of Madrid on Friday. The explosions claimed no casualties, but two police officers were lightly wounded.

An anonymous caller contacted the Basque newspaper Gara at 5.30pm local time, describing the location of the devices and naming ETA as responsible for the attacks. The bombings caused city-wide traffic jams, as police and rescue forces raced to secure the targets. The attacks ended a relatively peaceful phase of several months in the conflict between the Spanish central government and Basque extremists.

While leaders of ETA's political arm Batasuna have recently hinted at the possibility of a ceasefire, the assault makes any form of dialogue with ETA unlikely in the near future. ETA is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.