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

Original Alicante Airport

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.

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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.

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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

Beckhams former bodyguard found dead on Alicante coast

Craig Ainsworth, the bodyguard who served as the protector of luminaries including the Beckhams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Zendaya, was discovered deceased in the Valencian town of Lliria on Sunday. The former British police officer’s lifeless body was discovered by two men who were strolling through San Vicente municipal park. They immediately raised the alarm.

A day prior to his suicide, Ainsworth, who was 40 years old, posted a farewell message on his Facebook profile: “Goodbye, beautiful people.” Living is the most uncommon phenomenon on Earth. This will come as a surprise to the majority of you; however, my suffering has been immense for the past four years (…).

Two patrols from the Lliria Local Police and one from the Guardia Civil responded to the alert that a man had hanged himself in the municipal area. Additionally, a physician and a team of firefighters were present.

An inspection was conducted by the initial officers on the scene, and no criminal evidence was discovered. The documents discovered within a rucksack located a few metres from the body were used to identify Ainsworth.

Officers located the rental car that the bodyguard used to travel from Dénia to Lliria in the municipal parking area. Before the body was transported to the Valencia Institute of Legal Medicine for an autopsy, a second investigation was conducted in the pine forest by a team from the Lliria Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police.

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The vehicle was also examined by specialists from the armed institute, who discovered no evidence that anyone had accompanied Ainsworth in the car from Dénia to Lliria. The Civil Guard’s investigations indicate that he made the decision to commit suicide without the assistance of anyone.

In an effort to locate her son, Ainsworth’s mother had utilised social media platforms. The individual who served in the military was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. After being informed by an acquaintance of her daughter about the potential location of the bodyguard’s phone, the woman travelled to the Lliria area.

Life’s Challenges
However, what was the reason for his suicide? He elaborates on several of the challenges that life presented to him in his departure letter: “I lost some truly amazing people I was proud to call friends and colleagues, particularly Ryan and Jamie, who were like brothers to me, and the lockdown (from the pandemic) destroyed everything I had built.”

In his final remarks, he expresses his gratitude for his family and friends, as well as his rebuke of those who attacked and humiliated him. “I lived the life of ten men.” I lived with a pure spirit and good intentions (…). I made an effort to spread positivity and assist others. Another paragraph of the ex-marine’s letter states, “My confidence has been shattered by everyone who speaks about me without interacting with me.”

“I urge anyone who is contemplating self-harm to seek assistance.” Please refrain from copying me, as you are unaware of the ordeals I have endured. Those who are most closely associated with me will be delighted that I have discovered tranquillity. The bodyguard suggests, “Consider that.”

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Ainsworth had a wealth of experience in private security and had served as a police officer in the United Kingdom. He safeguarded the Beckhams from threats and hazards, including obsessive fans, and accompanied the couple to public events and on travels while serving as their bodyguard.

He is described by his professional associates as a discreet and experienced bodyguard who maintained a close relationship with the Beckhams. Additionally, he safeguarded other public figures and personalities, including Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Hemsworth.


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Costa Blanca

Suspect held for the murder of John George extradited to a Spanish prison

Following his detention in Portugal last month, murder suspect Jonny Smyth has been extradited to Spain.

The 27-year-old male from Northern Ireland is presently incarcerated in a remand prison in the south-western Extremadura region of Spain, near the border town of Badajoz, after being forcibly transported across the border by law enforcement.

In anticipation of an expected transfer to the Costa Blanca, where he is the subject of an ongoing investigation into the murder of West Belfast father-of-two John George, a magistrate there ordered his remand in jail over the weekend.

On March 25th, Smyth was apprehended in Portugal on an international arrest warrant after being located at an Airbnb in Braga, a city located in the far northern region of the country.

He is expected to be summoned before the Torrevieja-based investigating magistrate who is investigating Mr. George’s murder, in order to ratify his continued detention in Spain.

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The hearing will be conducted behind closed doors, as is customary in Spain, where only trials are conducted in public, similar to the post-extradition court appearance in Badajoz.

Yesterday afternoon, Tuesday April 8th, a high-ranking court official confirmed that Smyth was now back on Spanish soil. The official stated, “The detainee was initially placed at the disposal of the courts of Badajoz after his extradition to Spain. The courts of Badajoz agreed to place him in provisional detention at the disposal of the Torrevieja court.”

“The Torrevieja court is currently anticipating a report on the proceedings that took place in Badajoz in order to determine the appropriate course of action.”

Last year, Mr. George, 37, disappeared on December 14th. His family reported him missing when he failed to board a scheduled flight home four days later, following a brief vacation.

On January 7th, his body was discovered concealed beneath overgrown lemon trees, near the town of Rojales. After nearly 72 hours in police detention, a man who was arrested on suspicion of homicide later that day appeared in court on January 10th. Manuel Ramon Rives, his defence counsel in Costa Blanca, blamed the decision to detain him on his “recent friendship” with a man whom he claimed the police were pursuing at the time as the alleged perpetrator.

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The police force, which has been extremely secretive about its investigation and has declined requests for interviews, issued the following statement following Smyth’s arrest: “In the context of Operation Resistente, which is being conducted by the Territorial Judicial Police Team of Pilar de la Horadada in response to an intentional homicide committed by an Irish citizen in the municipality of Rojales, we have received information through SIRENE regarding the arrest of a 27-year-old man in the Portuguese city of Braga on March 25th.”

“The Portuguese police executed the arrest in accordance with a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Court of Instruction Number Two in Torrevieja.”


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Costa Blanca

A sandstorm will sweep through in the coming days

The alteration in temperature and weather in Alicante is already apparent, and it is evident that a growing number of people are starting to wear their summer clothes.

The number of individuals who are already beginning to congregate in the busiest areas of our coast, including the beaches of Alicante and Torrevieja, is evidence of this.

Nevertheless, the quality of the air in various regions of the Iberian Peninsula, including Alicante, may be impacted by the advent of dust in the coming days.

Through the Olivier cyclone, this dust will be transported from the Sahara.

This new storm, which was identified by the State Meteorological Agency on Monday, 7th April, will be responsible for the resurgence of Saharan dust uplift and transport to the Balearic Islands, the Balearic Islands, Melilla, and Ceuta.

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The Canary Islands will be impacted by this storm from Tuesday to Thursday. The westernmost islands will experience locally intense rainfall, wind, and waves.

Subsequently, it will approach the Iberian Peninsula, where it will accumulate a substantial quantity of particles in North Africa. These particles will be transported to the aforementioned locations within the next few hours. These particulates will even reach the northern region of the Iberian Peninsula.

Despite the meteorologist’s assertion that it will not be a significant intrusion, they caution is that “of course” the air quality will be exacerbated by the dust.

They say that individuals with respiratory issues may experience difficulty during these episodes, and as a result, it is advisable for them to remain at home.

It is also advisable for individuals who maintain excellent respiratory health to exercise caution. Advice is against engaging in extensive physical activity outdoors during this period.

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This dust is expected to settle in the province of Alicante beginning this Thursday, 10th April, and will remain there until at least Saturday, according to forecasts.

Additionally, it’s anticipates that mud precipitation will occur in significant portions of Spain by the end of this week, with the province of Alicante being the most susceptible.

Given these predictions, it is advisable to postpone washing your vehicle until the following week.


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