Friday, February 11, 2005

NOT ONLY Islamic clerics do it:
Spanish police probing the armed Basque separatist group Eta arrested a 75-year-old Benedictine monk today.

The Interior Ministry gave no further details but it was reported that the monk was arrested over suspected links to Eta’s leader and may have acted as a courier for him.

The arrest was made at a monastery in the Basque town of Lazkao and news agency Efe identified him as Juan Jose Aguirre Beguiristain.

Police said the arrest was based on documents seized when Eta’s leader, Mikel Antza, was arrested in south-west France in October.

Police also searched the monastery where the monk lived.
UPDATE (Feb, 12). After being interrogated by the police, the monk was released without charges (link in Spanish).

UPDATE 2. Link in English.