ETA announces end to more than 40 years' violence

MADRID — Armed Basque separatist group ETA declared Thursday a historic end to more than 40 years of bombing and shooting, welcomed by Spain as a victory for democracy.

Three ETA militants dressed in black shirts with white hoods over their heads and black berets made the dramatic video declaration terminating the deadly campaign for a Basque homeland. It heralds the end of Western Europe's last major violent secessionist group, blamed for 829 deaths. (AFP)