Eneko Gogeaskoetxea Arronategui, said to have led an elite unit of the Basque separatist organisation ETA, was arrested by armed counter-terrorism officers yesterday following a raid on his home on a quiet, suburban housing estate on the outskirts of Cambridge.
Neighbours said the 44-year-old father-of-two went by the name Cyril Macq. They said the computer support worker was a “regular dad” who had been secretary of the local squash club for six months.
Alexander Stewart, 18, who saw the raid, said: “He was on his bike on his way to work. The police had guns pointed at him and shouted 'get down’. Then they pulled him into a car and took him away. He was a really polite man and his wife was just lovely.”
Officers acting on a European Arrest Warrant arrived at the three-bedroom terrace property on the Arbury estate at 8.55am yesterday.
Council records indicate that Mr Gogeaskoetxea had lived for several years at the address with a woman called Maria Chaprillero, who is thought to be his wife. They were often seen walking their two young children, a daughter aged about three and a son aged six, to school.
Neville Doe, 40, who lives two doors from the family, said: “He’s a really nice man and a gentleman. We often saw him in the street running or cycling. He just seemed like a regular dad. He never spoke to me about political or intellectual things.” Mr Gogeaskoetxea, one of Spain’s most wanted terrorists, had been on the run since October 1997 after being accused of plotting to plant a bomb at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao before the inaugural visit by King Juan Carlos.
The attack was foiled five days before the opening after two policemen approached a van parked near the museum entrance. Three bombers posing as gardeners were found to be unloading flower pots containing explosives designed to be triggered by remote control. In the ensuing fight, one policemen was shot and killed. ETA later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Steve Casey, the chairman of Cambridge Squash Club, identified Mr Gogeaskoetxea as the club’s secretary and said police had confiscated two computers the Spaniard used. “Cyril has been a member of our squash club for six years and secretary for six months,” said Mr Casey. “He’s a great guy and a great secretary. I’m blown away by the news – I’m really staggered. He never spoke about politics, he was just a great squash player.”
Mr Gogeaskoetxea appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court yesterday afternoon and said he would fight extradition. Flanked by three security guards with two more positioned at the doors of the court, he was asked if he consented to the extradition request and he replied in English: “I do not.” He did not apply for bail and was told that he will next appear by video link on July 25.
Born in Guernica in the Basque region, Mr Gogeaskoetxea was believed to have been hiding in France. His elder brother Ibon, 55, and two other senior ETA members were arrested in a Spanish-French raid in Normandy in February last year.