The ETA member Txapote, who became the protagonist of the campaign, murdered 13 people and will be in jail until 2031

He was approached last year to the Basque Country and among his history are the crimes of PP and PSOE politicians such as Blanco, Ordóñez or Múgica

MADRID, 13 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The former leader of ETA Francisco Javier García Gaztelu, alias 'Txapote', who became the protagonist of this electoral campaign as a result of the slogan 'Let me vote for you Txapote', is one of the most well-known criminals of the terrorist group both in terms of the number of victims as well as their importance, since they murdered 13 people, among them the leaders of the PP Gregorio Ordóñez and Miguel Ángel Blanco and the Basque socialist leader Fernando Múgica. He is expected to be jailed until 2031.

The ETA member was brought close to the Basque Country a year ago and is serving his sentence in the Zaballa prison (Álava), having been convicted of participating in at least 13 murders by the terrorist group, with a total of 603 years in prison just for crimes of blood. The provisional release date of his sentence is set for the month of February 2031.

The slogan 'Que te vote Txapote' appeared for the first time in Seville in an electoral act of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, on September 3. A Europa Press photographer captured the banner with the phrase. Subsequently, it was repeated on television by a spontaneous person who took advantage of the presence of a camera to shout: "Sánchez, let Txapote vote for you."

According to data from the Association of Victims of Terrorism, in 2006 the National Court - the court in charge of judging ETA terrorism - sentenced him to 50 years in prison together with his partner Irantzu Gallastegi, alias 'Amaia', as perpetrators of the fatal attack on Blanco .

That same year, the court sentenced him for the murder of San Sebastián municipal policeman Alfonso Morcillo Calero in December 1994. Specifically, in 2006 he was sentenced to 29 years in prison as the author of the attack.

Still in 2006, the First Section added another 30 years to the sentence for the ETA member by considering him the author of the murder in 1995 of the then deputy mayor of San Sebastián Gregorio Ordóñez.

It should be noted that Gregorio's sister, Consuelo, has been one of the main voices from the group of victims who has asked that the motto not be used, considering it painful and counterproductive for the struggle of many families.

Subsequently, the AN sentenced him to another 33 years in prison as the author of the attack that ended the life of the Mariano de Juan Santamaría Army brigade and 82 years in prison as the author of the murder of the socialist politician Fernando Múgica.

The latter's son, Rubén, was one of the signatories of the appeal to the political class and to society in which they requested the cessation of the use of the aforementioned 'Que te vote Txapote'.

A few years later, in 2009, the AN again handed down two convictions against him. In the first place, he was sentenced to 46 years in prison for being responsible for the attack that ended the life of PP councilor José Ignacio Iruretagoyena. In addition, he added another 30 years in prison for ordering the murder of journalist José Luis López de la Calle.

Already in 2011, the AN imposed 105 years in prison for his participation in the murder of former socialist leader Fernando Buesa and his bodyguard, Ertzaina Jorge Díez. That same year he added another 75 years in prison as the author of the attack in Sallent de Gállego against the civil guards Irene Fernández and José Ángel de Jesús.

Continuing in 2011, 'Txapote' added 60 years in prison to his conviction record as the perpetrator of the fatal attack against the then UPN councilor at the Leiza City Council José Javier Múgica.

A year later, in 2012, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder in San Sebastián of the Chief Inspector of the National Police Enrique Nieto. In 2019, the AN sentenced him to 33 years in prison as the perpetrator of the terrorist attack on the Leonese prison official Máximo Casado Carrera.

The former member of the gang was also sentenced to 24 years in prison for trying to assassinate the deputy general of Álava Ramón Rabanera, 19 years in prison for trying to assassinate José Ramón Recalde, and 18 years in prison for the attack on the Txitxarro nightclub in Deba on September 10, 2000.

According to the data from the AVT itself, 'Txapote' also adds to all these convictions for different murders as many others for other types of crimes. In addition, García Gaztelu is under the magnifying glass of the National Court in the framework of the investigations that the court is conducting against the leadership of ETA for his alleged role in ordering various attacks by the gang.

Specifically, 'Txapote' was summoned to testify in May of this year in the framework of the investigation that Judge Santiago Pedraz is following into the murder of Judge Francisco Querol on October 30, 2000 in Madrid.