Costa Blanca
ETA member who was accused of planting a bomb at Alicante airport acquitted

Iratxe Sorzábal, a former commander of the ETA, has been acquitted by the National Court of the charge of placing an explosive device at the Alicante-Elche airport. Tedax deactivated the device, and the prosecution requested a six-year penitentiary sentence for the unsuccessful attack.
The primary piece of evidence was a handwritten letter that the Public Prosecutor’s Office attributes to Iratxe Sorzábal. The letter acknowledges the facts. The sentence states that the authorities issued a handwriting expert report that analysed several documents discovered in France, including the “kantada” that was attributed to the defendant. The Chamber further states that “this handwriting expert report, dated May 20, 2008, was ratified in the investigation phase before the Court; however, the Public Prosecutor’s Office did not propose it as evidence subsequently.” Consequently, the court emphasises that this discrepancy was the result of the absence of substantiation for a critical piece of information, namely the authorship report.
The court stated that it cannot be regarded as evidence against the defendant because it was not brought to trial and has not been subjected to a contradiction between the parties.
The court also considered the fact that Iratxe Sorzábal’s defence had explicitly challenged the report, claiming that she did not recognise the document as her own and had not written it.
The court also underscores that the authors of the police intelligence report, which analysed the existence and components of ETA’s Ibarla commando, its activities, and the details of the assaults it committed, were not proposed to testify at the trial. The existence and components of ETA’s Ibarla commando were analysed in this report, which was compared to documents discovered in France.
The ruling cautions that the report could have provided insight into the potential authorship of the explosives placed at the Alicante airport, in contrast to the defendant’s denial of any involvement.
Iratxe Sorzábal, who served her initial sentence in France in the late 1990s for her involvement with ETA, was extradited to Spain in 2001. Despite her efforts to avert the extradition through a hunger strike, which she defended by citing the potential for mistreatment by Spanish law enforcement, she was extradited.
Following her release in September 2001, she re-entered ETA and was apprehended in 2015 in France, this time in the company of erstwhile ETA leader David Pla.
For the first time in Spain, she was sentenced to 24 and a half years in prison in 2022 for a double assault that occurred in November 1996 in Gijón, targeting the Palace of Justice and a pharmacy.
The National Court reopened the investigation into the 1996 murder of Montxo Doral, a non-commissioned officer of Ertzaintza. The Basque Autonomous Police have attributed the crime to a commando unit under the command of Sorzabal.
In June 2006, the Paris Criminal Court sentenced her in absence to three years in prison for her membership in ETA’s political apparatus. She was again sentenced in her absence in 2013 at the trial in which her daughter’s father, former ETA leader Mikel Carrera Sarobe Ata, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of two Guardia Civil officers in Capbreton in 2007.
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Costa Blanca
Torrevieja aims to have 200 local police officers by 2027

The Torrevieja City Council, a municipality with a registered population of 108,000, has recently added six new local police officers to its personnel. During the summer months, the population of the municipality doubles. Nevertheless, the governing team, which is led by the Popular Party (PP) candidate Eduardo Dolón, aims to have 200 active officers by the end of the current term in 2027. This number is crucial to provide the services that the residents of Torrevieja and the thousands of tourists who visit us annually deserve.
The Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, confirmed these facts to the Councillors for Personnel and Internal Affairs, María José Ruiz, and the Head of Security and Emergencies, Federico Alarcón, during the swearing-in of the six officers and two other municipal workers. He welcomed and encouraged them to work with outstanding dedication to continue improving the quality of municipal services in Torrevieja after they had sworn in or promised their positions.
In particular, a Chief Heritage Architect and a replacement Green Team worker, as well as six local police officers (four constables and two officers), have been appointed. Eduardo Dolón emphasised the financial investments that Torrevieja City Council has made in recent years to increase the number of police officers. With over 108,000 registered residents, this initiative aims to meet the city’s increasing security needs.
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Costa Blanca
UK bans EU cheese and meat to stop disease spreading

The UK government has implemented a temporary prohibition on the importation of cheese and meat products from the EU by holidaymakers in order to mitigate the transmission of foot-and-mouth disease.
Since Saturday, travellers have been prohibited from returning with items such as cured meat and cheese, including those used in sandwiches, as a result of the expanding pandemic on the continent.
Regardless of whether the products are purchased from a duty-free store or are packaged or packed, the restrictions remain in effect.
It follows an earlier prohibition of comparable products from Hungary, Slovakia, Germany, and Austria in response to the escalating prevalence of the cattle disease in those nations.
The restrictions are applicable to individuals who arrive in Great Britain, not Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man.
If individuals attempt to bring in products, they will be confiscated and destroyed. In “serious cases,” individuals may be subject to a fine of up to £5,000.
Among the restricted products are:
Pork, beef, lamb, mutton, goat, venison, other products created from these meats, such as sausages milk and dairy products like butter, cheese, and yoghurt.
Individuals are permitted to bring a maximum of 2kg of reconstituted infant milk, infant food, or special food that is required for medical purposes.
Foot and mouth disease is a highly contagious virus that can result in lameness and nutrition difficulties, as well as blisters in the mouth and under the hooves of animals.
At present, there are no instances of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom.
The most recent outbreak in the United Kingdom occurred in 2001. Despite the fact that there were only 2,000 confirmed cases, over six million sheep, cattle, and swine were slaughtered.
This is due to the fact that each of those instances resulted in the slaughter and burning of all of the livestock on a property.
The National Farmers Union’s president, Tom Bradshaw, expressed his satisfaction with the government’s decision to extend the initial prohibition, stating that it was “quick” to implement it.
He stated that “increased border controls are imperative” in order to contain the disease.
Mr. Bradshaw advocated for “a comprehensive cross-government biosecurity plan that would establish these restrictions on a permanent legislative basis and receive the requisite investment.”
The Guild of Fine Food, which represents independent food and drink retailers, stated that the ban on ‘holiday treats’ was ‘hurried’. However, it also noted that it brought the UK government’s policy for holidaymakers more in accordance with the restrictions already in place for small businesses.
“The food and drink industry is unequivocally in favour of the importance of biosecurity and the protection of our farmers,” stated John Farrand, the managing director of the Guild of Fine Food.
He stated, however, that the “bureaucracy” that was implemented following Brexit had imposed “significant constraints” on minor food and drink importers and exporters..
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Arrested in Murcia for activities linked to jihadist terrorism

A person has been apprehended in the province of Murcia for alleged terrorist offences by Guardia Civil officers, who are under the supervision of Central Investigation Court No. 2 and the Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court.
Since 2019, the detainee has been aligned with a variety of terrorist organisations, including DAESH. More recently, he has radicalised his behaviour and activities.
The detainee’s family background was previously known, as a close relative was expelled from the country in 2020 for activities that violated national security. This action was taken in response to a complaint lodged by the Guardia Civil’s counterterrorism units with the competent authority.
It was noted that he conducted an extensive number of internet searches and retained information regarding the operation and storage of firearms and explosive devices during the investigation.
Additionally, he conducted information enquiries on the security forces. The requisite measures were instituted to mitigate the potential threat that this individual could pose, as there was substantial evidence of his purported terrorist activities.
After the detainee was brought before the competent judicial authority, he was ordered to be imprisoned.
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