Killing of a French gendarme blamed on ETA by Zuzana Zelenakova

Basque separatist group ETA is blamed for the killing of a French gendarme on Tuesday. The 52-year-old officer Jean Serge Nerin died of chest wounds inflicted in an exchange of fire with Basque-speaking men. Police managed to arrest one of them, who then confessed to be of Basque identity. The incident happened on one of Paris suburbs, about 50 kilometers southeast of the capital, after a French police patrol tried to check identity of a group suspected of stealing cars from a garage in Dammarie-les-Lys. "The facts that we've established so far are that they were robbing a car lot, they had taken a car," Samuel Roulle, a police officer, said. „A police patrol arrived! and tried to stop the car and ask for documents.Then a second car arrived, they must have been accomplices. Then they opened fire on the police patrol and our colleague.He was wearing all his protective gear, even his body armour." French police is now searching for at least six other members of the group, including one woman. ETA which gradually evolved to become a paramilitary group and is strongly influenced by Marxist-Leninist teaching is responsible for killing over 800 people since 1968. If it is confirmed ETA stands behind the Tuesday incident Jean Serge Nerin would be the first French policeman killed in France by the separatist organization. During the past two years, the French and Spanish police were involved in an intense cooperation aimed at pursuing ETA members. Their joint efforts resulted in arresting five leaders of ETA in France. "This time France has paid a high price for its co-operation with us in the fight against ETA which is so important for our fr! eedom and security," said Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rod! riguez Z apatero. The organization ended 15-months truce in 2007 after fruitless talks with the socialist government of current Prime Minister Zapatero.

related story (sgx16804): http://www.france24.com/en/20100317-french-police-seeking-et...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

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