Eta suspect is held in London

A man wanted for alleged terrorist offences in Spain was arrested in London yesterday. Officers from Scotland Yard's extradition unit detained Garikoitz Murua, 29, in Soho. Murua is a suspected member of Basque separatist group Eta, and is accused of taking part in street violence in the turbulent Basque region of northern Spain.

He is due to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court tomorrow. A force spokesman said: "Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Extradition Unit arrested a 29-year old man in Soho. Garikoitz Ibarlucea Murua was detained on behalf of the Spanish authorities under a European Arrest Warrant alleging 'terrorist offences'."

Since 1968 the group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, known as Eta, have been involved in the deaths of more than 800 people, according to the Spanish government. Since declaring a "permanent ceasefire" in 2006, the group have been behind several bomb attacks. Four of the group's military chiefs were arrested in 2009, including Jurdan Martitegi, one of its most notorious members.

More than 700 members of the organisation are estimated to be imprisoned in Spain, France and other countries.