Costa Blanca

Former commander of ETA, has denied any involvement in the 1995 attack on airport

Iratxe Sorzabal, a former ETA leader, has denied her involvement in the attacks and has claimed that her confession to that attack and 21 others, which were recorded in a ‘kantada’ (a handwritten note sent by ETA members to the gang’s leadership after their arrest), was obtained under torture. She is currently facing six years in prison.

This is the statement she made in response to her attorney during the trial at the National Court, which is currently preparing for sentencing. The Public Prosecutor’s Office is requesting a six-year penitentiary sentence for her.

Sorzabal, who wept as she recalled her second arrest in 2001 and her time in police detention, insisted that she began collaborating with ETA in 1996. However, she denied that she was a member of any commando group, as her responsibilities with the group included securing the border with France.

During her interrogation, the former ETA member disclosed that the Civil Guard subjected her to a variety of forms of torture after her arrest. She discussed electrodes that caused burns on her back, bags being placed in her mouth, and blows. This experience compelled her to disclose the information she was compelled to admit as her own in the “kantada” and during her incommunicado detention at police stations.

“I signed because I had not slept for two days,” he stated. He also took 28 photographs and offered to claim the attack on Carrero Blanco as his own, which elicited amusement from the officers.

The prosecutor in the case, Carlos García Berro, maintained his request for Sorzabal’s sentence following his statement. He explained that in this case, there are only two essential pieces of evidence: the statement made by the ETA member herself and her ‘kantada’. He acknowledged the latter as valid, suggesting that the defence cannot assert that this handwritten note should be acknowledged in certain trials but not in others: “It is Schrödinger’s ‘kantada’.”

He emphasised that the document should be analysed independently of the police statement and the circumstances of the arrest in this regard. He described this type of note as genuine and spontaneous, as it was a “compulsory accountability by ETA.” Consequently, he disassociated this note from the police statement.

He also emphasised specific details about her, including the fact that she was recruited by her companion, Iñaki Tellechea, who was also a member of the gang, to join ETA in 1994.

Nevertheless, Sorzabal’s defence, which initiated its report by advocating for a complete acquittal, underscored that this is a case in which the detainee was subjected to torture, that a handwritten note containing an account of her statements at the police station is included as evidence, and that if this rant is attributed to Sorzabal, it cannot be used to secure her conviction due to the violation of her constitutional rights.

Consequently, he expressed his scepticism that Sorzabal would have composed that note if she had not been tortured and suggested that it is challenging to legalise evidence of this nature when the detainee’s fundamental rights have been violated. He added a final issue after elucidating the procedural loopholes that complicate the validity of the evidence: if it were a confession, it would also be invalid because it was made without the presence of a counsel and without the knowledge of her rights.

“The nullity of the evidence is the only viable alternative.” He also stated that they are attempting to convict using null evidence and a handwritten note that has been inadequately translated and misinterpreted.

Sorzabal is accused of placing an incendiary device at the Altet Airport in Elche (Alicante) on July 29th, 1995, according to the Public Prosecutor’s indictment. At 12:45 p.m. on that day, a cleaning lady was “emptying the trash can located in the tunnel connecting the parking lot with the passenger arrivals area” when she “observed a bag containing a package containing cables and a battery.”

“After being notified, the State Security Forces and Corps proceeded to cordon off the area, and the Tedax deactivated the device, which turned out to be composed of a digital clock, a 9-volt battery, 500 grammes of the explosive substance Ameritol, an electric detonator, and some cables,” according to the prosecutor’s office information.

The information provided indicates that “no personal or property damage occurred, even though the explosive device was placed with the aim of causing maximum damage to people and public and private property.”

This marks the second occasion in which Sorzabal has been dragged before the court this year. The former ETA leader was tried for an October 1995 attack at the Irún border crossing (Guipúzcoa) that damaged the Spanish customs office at the end of last February. She is currently facing a 12-year prison sentence for this offence.

Sorzabal, who is currently awaiting her sentencing, denied “everything” during her statement as the accused. The statement also examined the accused’s “kantada,” which includes assaults that, at the time of their recording, had no clear perpetrator, such as the two aforementioned.

The manuscript that the former gang leader recounted “is everything” she “was made to memorise, with every detail” at the police station maintained.

The significance of this “kantada” is that it references attacks that have not been prosecuted or ascribed, such as the one that occurred against a Mapfre branch in 1993. This is precisely the reason why the tribunal did not concentrate on the Irún attack, but rather on the validation or dismantling of the document’s content.

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Costa Blanca

Sticky Vicky’s daughter quits mum’s iconic Benidorm show

Adhesive the stage act has been sensationally abandoned by Vicky’s daughter, who has followed in her late mother’s footsteps, thereby leaving behind her family’s Benidorm legacy.

The unexpected decision was made after María Gadea Aragón assumed responsibility for the adult-themed magic performances following the passing of her mother, Victoria María Aragón Gadea, in 2023 at the age of 80.

María, who had been employing her mother’s stage identity in the well-known Spanish resort, has now discontinued her performances after a decade on stage.

María performed frequently at venues including the Palladium, Zodiaco, and Rockerfellers, as well as Benidorm which is a popular destination for British expatriates and vacationers.

Des Bellamy-Wright, an employee at the Benidorm Palladium, verified that María is no longer employed in the lively Spanish city. Des stated, “Sticky Vicky is no longer operational in Benidorm.” The ‘Carmen Snake – Sticky Show’ is a similarly entertaining program that is broadcast every night at 12:45 a.m. “

The official reason for Maria’s retirement was not disclosed, and her final performance was in November 2024.

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Costa Blanca

Elche’s H&M shop closing

The Swedish retail chain H&M announced in 2024 that it would be reducing the number of stores and employment it has in Spain due to “organisational, productive, and economic” reasons. Around 50 layoffs were the result of the closure of stores in the L’Aljub retail centres in Elche, Ociopía in Orihuela, and Habaneras in Torrevieja, which had consequences for the province of Alicante.

Additionally, these were the sole instances in the Valencian Community that were impacted. The Torrevieja store was the first to shut its doors in May 2024 since that time. The Orihuela store was subsequently closed on September 14th of the same year. Currently, the Elche store has shuttered its doors. The facility was closed to the public on March 14th, following its final day of operation on March 11th. It will be entirely shut down on March 22nd. Approximately 20 employees are being laid off at this Elche store. It is the final establishment in the province of Alicante that will not reopen, and the circumstances of the dismissal were negotiated in October. The employees have departed the company with an agreement as a result of these negotiations, according to Yolanda de la Casa, the general secretary of the CCOO Services Federation in Alicante.

The dismissal terms that were established following the October negotiations were 45 days until 2012 and 33 days until the present. A gratuity of 3,500 euros was granted for the first five years, 4,000 euros for the next ten years, and a maximum of 4,500 euros for the subsequent years.

Furthermore, three relocations have occurred among the 50 individuals who were laid off in the province, spanning Elche, Orihuela, and Torrevieja. Lely Fernández of UGT l’Alacantí-La Marina informed this newspaper that these were part-time employees from the Habaneras shopping centre in Torrevieja who were transferred to the La Zenia shopping centre, which continues to operate and is accessible.

H&M initiated 2024 by announcing the closure of 28 stores and approximately 588 collective redundancies. The figure was reduced to 521 reductions in a subsequent revision.

The Torrevieja store closed its doors to the public on May 17th, 2024, and the lease expired on May 24th, never to be reopened. Nevertheless, numerous employees at this establishment were granted the opportunity to relocate to other nearby stores that were still operational. In September 2024, Ociopía followed suit, and Elche followed suit in March 2025.

The H&M group operates over 100 stores and employs nearly 4,000 individuals in the country. This decision was made by the Scandinavian company in order to “adapt and perfect” its stores in a “changing” shopping environment for its consumers. Additionally, Spain would be responsible for 17% of the brand’s global closures, as indicated by the data that the company disclosed months ago when it presented its 2023 financial year.

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Costa Blanca

Man stole fire extinguishers to sell as scrap metal

A 20-year-old male is currently under investigation by the Guardia Civil for the purported theft of ten fire extinguishers. The fire extinguishers were discovered by Seprona officers during an inspection of a scrap metal establishment in Torrevieja. The store manager and the criminal are both the subject of an investigation.

The fire extinguishers, which were in near-new condition and completely charged, were discovered by the Servicio de Protección a la Naturaleza (Seprona) officers during the inspection. The investigation was initiated due to the fact that this material is “uncommon” in this form of business, as explained by sources from the Armed Forces.

Upon discovering the fire extinguishers, the officers enquired about the scrapyard manager’s documentation regarding the extinguishers’ arrival. The manager responded that he did not possess any proof of ownership. Additionally, he disclosed that a woman and her son had abandoned them there without his permission.

The company responsible for maintaining the fire extinguishers was identified by Seprona officers after they analysed the evidence and proof acquired. This verified that the extinguishers were located in a building in Torrevieja. The missing equipment was reported by the property manager of this community of proprietors shortly thereafter.

Fire extinguishers were recovered

Officers were permitted to confiscate the fire extinguishers and transport them to the Torrevieja Civil Guard barracks as a result of the formal complaint. Upon verification of their origin, they were returned to their legitimate owners.

The individuals implicated have been identified as a result of the operation. The 20-year-old man who is supposed to have stolen the fire extinguishers is being investigated for theft, while the 23-year-old proprietor of the scrap yard is being investigated for receiving stolen goods.

The Guardia Civil emphasises the necessity of reporting these types of incidents and reminds all individuals of the significance of doing so. In order to prevent the acquisition of stolen material, scrap metal dealers must establish rigorous controls, such as document checks on sellers and items received.