A British judge ruled on Thursday that a suspected member of the Basque separatist group ETA who has spent more than a decade on the run should be extradited to Spain.
Kemen Uranga Artola, who has been the subject of a European Arrest Warrant since 2001, is wanted in Spain for alleged terrorism offences.
The 43-year-old went on the run in 2000 after he was accused of collaborating with ETA and was arrested in London in August.
“It is proportionate and necessary for me to order the extradition of Kemen Uranga Artola to return to Spain to face criminal prosecution,” judge John Zani told the court.
Uranga’s lawyers said they would appeal against the decision within the next week. The judge rejected Uranga’s bail application, agreeing with Spanish prosecutors that he was a flight risk.
Uranga is accused of collaborating with an armed group by providing ETA members with two apartments in 2000.
Police found explosives, detonators, ammunition and ETA documents in one of the properties.
ETA is blamed for more than 800 killings in a four-decade campaign to create an independent Basque homeland in northern Spain and south-western France.
It is classed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States.
It announced in October 2001 that it was abandoning violence, but it has yet to disarm.
British judge approves ETA suspect's extradition
