Two former ETA chiefs to stand trial for barracks attack in Legutiano that killed police officer
The National Court is trying Jurdan Martitegi and Aitzol Iriondo this month for the 2008 attack that caused the death of civil guard Juan Manuel Piñuel and wounded 26 people.
National Court tries former ETA leaders for barracks attack
According to ABC, the National Court will hold an oral hearing between the 15th and 30th of this month to try Jurdan Martitegi and Aitzol Iriondo, former military chiefs of ETA, for the attack on 14 May 2008 against the barracks house in Legutiano, a municipality in Alava with approximately 2,000 inhabitants. The attack using a van loaded with up to 200 kilos of explosives resulted in the death of civil guard Juan Manuel Piñuel, who had been stationed at the barracks for barely two months, and 26 wounded.
Martitegi appears accused as the perpetrator of the attack. Iriondo, alias 'Gurbitz', faces charges for facilitating the car bomb, a dark red Citroën Berlingo stolen from the French town of Saint-Bonnet. After fitting false registration plates and placing explosives in the rear, the car was driven to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Martitegi then took over the vehicle, drove it to the barracks gate, got out and fled in a Peugeot 306 also stolen, driven by Arkaitz Goicoechea. Seconds later, the van detonated.
The Victims of Terrorism Association (AVT) is seeking 534 years in prison for the two accused, citing charges of completed terrorist murder, 26 counts of attempted terrorist murder, two counts of terrorist destruction and motor vehicle thefts.
In the early hours of the attack, 27 people were resting in the barracks: 15 members of the force and 12 family members. Piñuel left a widow and son. His wife suffered from anxiety and depression for 951 days, followed by major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety. The couple's son, then ten years old, developed an anxiety disorder that required psychological treatment and subsequent personality disorder sequelae. The other people present suffered from migraines, hearing problems and post-traumatic stress.
The attack took place barely two months after the 2008 general elections and two days before ETA assassinated socialist councillor Isaías Carrasco in Mondragón. In 2010, the National Court sentenced Arkaitz Goikoetxea to 515 years in prison; it also imposed sentences for Aitor Cotano and Íñigo Gutiérrez. The Supreme Court confirmed the sentence for Goikoetxea a year later, but acquitted the other two for insufficient evidence.
The proceedings were paralysed for years. In 2009, the National Court indicted Jurdan Martitegi, a milestone that suspended proceedings again until 2025, when the court summoned Aitzol Iriondo to testify. Iriondo exercised his right to remain silent, was indicted and the case was considered concluded. Eighteen years after the attack, this trial marks the definitive closure of the case.
Source: ABC