Spain: first terrorism arrests linked to ETA since it dissolved
Basque police arrested three people in Escoriaza on 26 September 2026; two are being held on remand for terrorist offences. They carried the contents of a police phone.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Two people are being held on remand for terrorist offences after being arrested at a drink-drive checkpoint in Guanoza (Guipúzcoa) on 26 September 2026. Their vehicle contained the complete contents of a Spanish National Police officer's phone and documents about a possible hideout.
The first time since the end of ETA. That is what the court ruling in the case stresses: the Basque police are accusing two Spanish nationals of terrorist offences, something that had not peine since the group's dissolution. The arrest took place at a routine drink-drive checkpoint at four in the morning on Saturday **26 September 2026** in the town of **Guanoza**. Officers stopped a Toyota Yaris occupied by three people: Basques Aratz Bilbao and Malen Grünig and Irishman Naoise O'Conarain. The woman was driving, Bilbao was in the front passenger seat and the foreigner in the back.
## What was in the rucksack
Police first identified the driver and then focused on the rucksack Aratz Bilbao had at his feet. Inside was the complete content of a **National Police** officer's phone. There were also documents about a possible hideout, data on members of other police forces and dozens of handwritten notes with vehicle number plates. The documentation included papers and USB drives, mostly encrypted, related to **Jardun**, the abertzale organisation the detainees belonged to.
The seized material was not improvised. Photographs of vehicles and number plates that "could correspond" to police vehicles point to surveillance and monitoring of officers. The court ruling obtained by THE OBJECTIVE describes that content as part of the evidence supporting the charges.
## Remand custody and the scope of the case
The two Basque detainees are now in remand custody for terrorist offences. The third occupant of the vehicle, the Irishman Naoise O'Conarain, is not subject to that measure according to available information. The operation was led by the Ertzaintza, the Basque regional police, and the case has been referred to a court.
That a traffic stop leads to a terrorism case says something about the kind of surveillance that was under way. It was not propaganda material or slogans: there was a cloned police phone, plans of a possible hideout and a list of number plates. The combination suggests operational preparation, not just militancy.
## The context that weighs
The case comes years after ETA announced the definitive end of its armed activity in **2011** and its dissolution in **2018**. During that time, public debate focused on whether inherited structures capable of acting remained. This ruling is the first time the Ertzaintza has charged detainees with terrorist offences since then, according to the contents of the file.
Prudence is warranted: remand custody is not a conviction and the investigation remains open. What there is so far is a charge based on the material seized from the vehicle, not a verdict.
The first time since the end of ETA. That is what the court ruling in the case stresses: the Basque police are accusing two Spanish nationals of terrorist offences, something that had not peine since the group's dissolution. The arrest took place at a routine drink-drive checkpoint at four in the morning on Saturday **26 September 2026** in the town of **Guanoza**. Officers stopped a Toyota Yaris occupied by three people: Basques Aratz Bilbao and Malen Grünig and Irishman Naoise O'Conarain. The woman was driving, Bilbao was in the front passenger seat and the foreigner in the back.
## What was in the rucksack
Police first identified the driver and then focused on the rucksack Aratz Bilbao had at his feet. Inside was the complete content of a **National Police** officer's phone. There were also documents about a possible hideout, data on members of other police forces and dozens of handwritten notes with vehicle number plates. The documentation included papers and USB drives, mostly encrypted, related to **Jardun**, the abertzale organisation the detainees belonged to.
The seized material was not improvised. Photographs of vehicles and number plates that "could correspond" to police vehicles point to surveillance and monitoring of officers. The court ruling obtained by THE OBJECTIVE describes that content as part of the evidence supporting the charges.
## Remand custody and the scope of the case
The two Basque detainees are now in remand custody for terrorist offences. The third occupant of the vehicle, the Irishman Naoise O'Conarain, is not subject to that measure according to available information. The operation was led by the Ertzaintza, the Basque regional police, and the case has been referred to a court.
That a traffic stop leads to a terrorism case says something about the kind of surveillance that was under way. It was not propaganda material or slogans: there was a cloned police phone, plans of a possible hideout and a list of number plates. The combination suggests operational preparation, not just militancy.
## The context that weighs
The case comes years after ETA announced the definitive end of its armed activity in **2011** and its dissolution in **2018**. During that time, public debate focused on whether inherited structures capable of acting remained. This ruling is the first time the Ertzaintza has charged detainees with terrorist offences since then, according to the contents of the file.
Prudence is warranted: remand custody is not a conviction and the investigation remains open. What there is so far is a charge based on the material seized from the vehicle, not a verdict.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (4 replies).
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