Manuel Marraco Madrid

Madrid

Updated Wednesday, January 24, 2024-11:00

  • Terrorism The judge prosecutes 'Txapote' 22 years later for killing PP councilor Manuel Zamarreño

  • Terrorism The messages between Bildu and Interior for ETA prisoners: "We maintain an effective and stable channel with the PSE, as you know"

The ETA member who, due to his criminal record and his involuntary presence in the electoral campaign -Let

Txapote

vote for you !- has symbolized the terrorist group, faces a new murder accusation this Wednesday.

The Prosecutor's Office of the National Court requests 120 years in prison for

Javier García Gaztelu

as the material author of the death of the PP councilor in

Rentería

(Guipúzcoa)

Manuel Zamarreño

.

On June 25, 1998, an explosive device hidden in a moped exploded in front of the mayor, married with four children, when he was returning home from buying bread.

He died and the

ertzaina

who was escorting him was injured, as were two other passers-by.

The indictment demands the same sentence for his partner in the

Donosti commando

and partner

Irantzu Gallastegi Sodupe

,

Amaia

.

The Prosecutor's Office explains that the command acted after receiving "the instruction from the terrorist group to kill members of the Popular Party."

"I am not going to participate and I refuse to defend myself,"

Txapote

said when the president of the court, Fernando Andreu, asked him if he was going to answer the questions.

Next,

Amaia

said the same thing.

Among the witnesses summoned to the trial - which will last until Friday - was Zamarreño's bodyguard, who recounted what happened: "The day before we had arranged to meet Mr. Zamarreño because we were going to go to Donosti for a meeting he had with the party to prepare for a plenary session. I arrived with my private car and checked the street where he lived, which was a bit dangerous. I rang the bell and he came down. [...] He went towards the bakery and I waited for him. "When he left to buy the bread, I let him pass me by 4 or 5 meters. We moved forward a little and the explosion occurred."


Six months before the attack, the

Donosti commando

had killed the also councilor of Rentería

José Luis Caso.

Zamarreño, despite the obvious risk of being murdered, agreed to replace him.

They were friends and had worked together for 24 years at the Luzuriaga Shipyard in Pasajes (Guipúzcoa).

Thirty-five days after taking office as councilman, he was murdered.


His death is on the list of more than 350 unsolved ETA murders.

Also Case's.

Txapote

and

Amaia

were tried in 2006 for this attack, but the National Court acquitted them

.

In addition to the Prosecutor's Office, Zamarreño's family is also prosecuting the case to achieve the difficult task of ensuring that this attack does have culprits identified.

Among the elements that the Prosecutor's Office uses to request the conviction is that Amaia was, supposedly, the one who bought the moped, using a false license.

His description matches what the seller gave, but there was no identification parade.

"To carry out their murderous plan, they decided to place an explosive device on a motorcycle that they would park on public roads in a place close to the one they were traveling through, assuming the risk of affecting, not only property, but life. of third parties, and, especially, of the police officer who carried out escort duties for him," explains the Prosecutor's Office letter.

The Prosecutor's Office asks for 30 years for each accused for the murder, 20 for each of the three injured, another 20 for havoc and 10 for possession of explosives.

The list of murdered people that have been attributed to

Txapote

includes the PP councilor in Ermua

Miguel Ángel Blanco

, as well as

Alfonso Morcillo Calero, Mariano de Juan Santamaría, José Ignacio Iruretagoyena, José Luis López de la Calle, Jorge Díez Elorza, José Javier Múgica Astibia, Irene Fernández Perera, José Ángel de Jesús Encinas, Enrique Nieto Viyella

and

Máximo Casado Carrera

.