By Danny Wood
South African judge picked for top UN rights post ...
'Fake' priest exposed at Vatican ... /> BBC News, Madrid
A Spanish judge says seven alleged members of the Basque separatist group, Eta, were planning a series of bomb attacks in the province of Andalucia.
The suspects were detained during police operations last week in the province of Bizkaia in northern Spain and Malaga in the south.
Judge Baltasar Garzon says their arrest has prevented many attacks.
He accuses the Eta cell of preparing a series of bombings on tourist areas, including shopping centres and hotels.
Judge Garzon was speaking on Spanish radio after formally indicting the suspects.
The attacks were expected to take place during August - Spain's peak holiday period.
Recent attacks
The indictment says the group was also planning to assassinate a high court judge and kidnap and murder politicians.
According to Judge Garzon, the Eta suspects were following the movements of a Socialist town councillor who they were aiming to kidnap, sedate with tranquilisers and then kill.
The court document says two of the alleged militants were renting houses in Lisbon, under orders to look at the possibility of establishing a permanent base of action in Portugal.
Last year, Eta officially ended a ceasefire and declared it was willing to strike at the Spanish state on all fronts.
The Spanish authorities blame the suspects, indicted by Judge Garzon, for most of the militant group's recent attacks, including a bombing at a military police barracks in May.
(BBC)
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