The judge extends the investigation into the attack on Santa Pola in 2002 pending the questioning of two former ETA leaders

MADRID, 8 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The judge of the National Court Manuel García Castellón has agreed to extend the investigation into the attack perpetrated by ETA against the Santa Pola (Alicante) barracks in 2002 for six months, pending yet to take a statement from the former leaders of the terrorist group María Soledad Iparraguirre , alias 'Anboto', and Felix Ignacio Esparza.

In an order this Tuesday, collected by Europa Press, the head of the Central Investigating Court Number 6 agrees to continue with the investigations, pondering "both the complex nature of the facts investigated, and the very nature of the investigative proceedings that have been agreed and not yet practised".

The instructor also refers to the "assessment of the documentation in the records for the purpose of deciding on the prosecution of those investigated." And it is that, he adds, "it seems reasonable to expect that the need to agree on other investigative actions, new or a consequence of those, will result from its practice."

Thus, the judge extends the investigation period -which expires on March 25_ for a period of at least six months as requested by the Association of Victims of Terrorism, the Dignity and Justice Association, and the Prosecutor's Office.

It should be remembered that in this case the National Court sentenced the ETA members Andoni Otegi Eraso, 'Iosu', and Óscar Celarain Ortiz, 'Peio', to 843 years in prison in 2012, considering it proven "without any kind of doubt" that they were the material authors of the attack against the house-barracks in Santa Pola (Alicante), which the gang perpetrated on August 4, 2002. Now, the magistrate is investigating who the masterminds of said attack were.

Last December, the magistrate received a police report from the General Information Commissioner of the National Police that highlighted the "total control" exercised by the top leadership of the terrorist organization when the attack took place that resulted in the murder of Silvia Martínez Santiago, six years old, and Cecilio Gallego Alaminos, 57 years old.

In their report, the investigators review the references in the Police regarding the six ETA leaders who have been under investigation since last July in this procedure: Juan Antonio Olarra Guridi, alias 'Juanvi'; Ainhoa ​​Mugica, 'Olga'; Felix Ignacio Esparza, 'Navarro'; Mikel Albisu, 'Mikel Antza'; Ramón Sagarzazu, 'Ramontxo', and María Soledad Iparraguirre, 'Anboto'.

Already last October, the Dignity and Justice Association - which exercises popular prosecution in the case - sent the judge a 2014 police report which also highlighted the "total control" that the leadership of the terrorist organization had over "to the last of the assassin pawns" in charge of committing the attacks.

At the end of November, the Civil Guard sent the judge a report containing a detailed analysis of ETA's terrorist activity between 1994 and 2004: it had approximately 1,000 militants and carried out 480 terrorist actions with a total of 101 fatalities.