Explosion in northern Basque region injures five

An explosion injured a town councilor and bodyguard today in the northern Basque city of Portugalete. Police said the attack bore the hallmarks of the armed Basque separatist group ETA.

Police said three others, including a pregnant woman, received light injuries from the blast.

The councilor was identified as Esther Cabezudo, a member of the Socialist Party. The extent of her injuries were not immediately known.

A regional police officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the explosive device was hidden in the street and went off when Cabezudo and her bodyguard walked by.

Police had earlier said it could have been a car bomb or the councilor and her bodyguard had driven by an explosive device.

The explosion happened shortly after 9:10 a.m, local time, near the town hall of Portugalete, a city of some 50,000 about 50 miles east of San Sebastian near the French border.

Police immediately cordoned off the area, which was heavily damaged by the explosion.

The attack followed by a week a bomb explosion blamed on ETA that mutilated a prominent member of the Socialist Party's youth section.

ETA usually waits several weeks or months before taking responsibility for its actions. No group immediately claimed responsibility, but the region has been plagued for years by bombings and shootings during ETA's 34-year campaign for independence.