Spain says ETA rebels' top leader caught in France

The leader of armed Basque separatists ETA was arrested on Sunday in northern France together with two other senior rebels, the Spanish interior ministry said. Ibon Gogeascoechea, on the run since 1997 and wanted for a plot to attack the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, was arrested in a joint Spanish-French raid in Normandy, the ministry said.

Security forces believe ETA, which wants independence for the Basque Country and has killed more than 800 people, has been severely weakened by arrests in recent years. (Reuters)