Cablegate: Visas Viper Submission
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MADRID 004119
SIPDIS
VISAS VIPER
DEPT FOR CA/VO/L/C AND INR/IC/TIPOFF
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS KVPR PTER ASEC CMGT PINR PREL SP
(ALBIZU IRIARTE, MIGUEL ET AL)
SUBJECT: VISAS VIPER SUBMISSION
1. POST WISHES TO SUBMIT AND/OR UPDATE THE FOLLOWING
NAMES AND INFORMATION TO CLASS IN ACCORDANCE WITH VIPER
PROCEDURES:
2. SPANISH DAILY PRESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION MEDIA
REPORTED ON OCT. 4, 2004 AND SUBSEQUENT DAYS THAT
FRENCH POLICE IN COORDINATION WITH THE SPANISH GUARDIA
CIVIL, AND UNDER ORDERS OF FRENCH ANTITERRORIST JUDGE
LAURENCE LE VERT, CONDUCTED A LARGE-SCALE OPERATION
AGAINST ETA INFRASTRUCTURES IN FRANCE IN WHICH MORE
THAN 150 POLICE MEMBERS PARTICIPATED. THE OPERATION IS
THE RESULT OF MORE THAN FOUR YEARS OF INVESTIGATION AND
HAS TAKEN PLACE IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN THE SOUTHWEST
OF FRANCE. THE ALLEGED NUMBER-ONE POLITICAL LEADER OF
THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, SINCE 1993, MIGUEL ALBIZU
IRIARTE, ALIAS: "MIKEL ANTZA" WAS ARRESTED AS WELL AS
HIS SENTIMENTAL PARTNER SOLEDAD IPARRAGUIRRE GUENECHEA,
ALIAS: "ANBOTO" WHO HAS AN EXTENSIVE TERRORIST
CURRICULUM AND IS PRESENTLY CONSIDERED BY THE SPANISH
AUTHORITIES TO BE THE HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN IN ETA.
POLICE BELIEVE SHE WAS NOW KNOWN AS BEING IN CHARGE OF
COLLECTING, MANAGING AND DISTRIBUTING FUNDS THAT THE
GROUP OBTAINS THROUGH KIDNAPPINGS AND EXTORTION OF
BUSINESS. THE COUPLE WAS ARRESTED IN A HOUSE, WHICH
THEY USED SPORADICALLY IN THE CITY OF SALIES DE BEARN,
FRANCE. IN ADDITION ANOTHER 19 INDIVIDUALS THAT THE
POLICE BELIEVE ARE PART OF ETA'S LOGISTICS NETWORK WERE
ARRESTED IN THE OPERATIONS. SOME OF THEM WERE LATER
RELEASED AFTER FIRST COURT PROCEEDINGS. THE RAIDS TOOK
PLACE IN SEVEN TOWNS OF THE FRENCH ATLANTIC PYRINEES,
SAINT PIERRE D'IRUBE, BRISCOUS, AYHERRE, SALIES DE
BEARN, DOMEZAIN-BERRAUTE, URRUGNE AND HENDAYA. IN
ADDITION A TRUCK DRIVER ALSO RELATED TO ETA'S LOGISTICS
GROUP WAS ALSO ARRESTED IN BURGOS, SPAIN. THE POLICE
SEARCHED SEVERAL SAFE-HOUSES AND FOUND FIVE
ARSENALS/CACHES WHERE THEY SEIZED SEVERAL HUNDRED
KILOGRAMS OF DYNAMITE "TITADYNE" EXPLOSIVE, WHICH WAS
PREVIOUSLY STOLEN IN AN EXPLOSIVES FACTORY IN FRANCE,
AS WELL AS A BIG AMOUNT OF CHEMICALS, TO BE USED IN
CONNECTION WITH THE MANUFACTURING OF EXPLOSIVES,
SEVERAL DOZENS OF GUNS, INCLUDING 30 MACHINE GUNS AND
44 SUBMACHINE GUNS "UZI" AND "MAT", MORE THAN 200
PISTOLS, GRENADES, GRENADE LAUNCHERS, TWO "SAM" SURFACE
TO AIR MISSILES, AMUNITIONS, DETONATORS, TIMERS,
ABUNDANT DOCUMENTATION, COMPUTERS AND A LARGE AMOUNT OF
CURRENCY. IN ONE OF THE HOUSES, THE ACTIVISTS HAD
CONSTRUCTED A FIRING RANGE. PRESS REPORTS CONTINUE,
POLICE SOURCES SAID IT WOULD TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS TO
ANALYZE THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF DOCUMENTS AND
INFORMATION OBTAINED IN THE RAIDS.
3. SPANISH AND FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTRIES APPLAUDED
THE SUCCESSFUL OPERATION, RESULT OF THE CLOSER
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND SPANISH ANTI-
TERRORISM UNITS.
4. ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS PRESS REPORTED THAT SOME OF
THE ARRESTED WERE RELEASED AND THE INVIDUALS BELOW WERE
IMPRISONED AFTER FIRST COURT PROCEEDINGS.
5. NAME: ALBISU IRIARTE, MIGUEL
- ALTERNATE LAST AND FIRST NAME SPELLINGS: ALBISU
IRIARTE, MIKEL
- ALIAS: "MIKEL ANTZA", "MIKEL ANTXA", "DAVID" AND
"CHUPACHUS"
- GENDER: MALE
- DPOB: JUNE 7, 1961, SAN SEBASTIAN, GUIPUZCOA,
SPAIN.
- SPANISH NATIONAL I.D. NUMBER: 15954596
- CLASS: POSITIVE
- MIKEL ANTZA BECAME THE ETA'S POLITICAL LEADER IN
1992 AFTER THE ARREST IN BIDART, FRANCE OF THE ETA
LEADERSHIP MEMBERS. POLICE ALSO BELIEVE THAT DUE THE
ORGANIZATION'S LATEST SITUATION PER THE NUMEROUS RECENT
ARRESTS, HE WAS NOW ALSO IN CHARGE OF THE ETA MILITARY
NETWORK. IN MAY 1999, DURING THE ETA'S PERIOD OF CEASE-
FIRE, MIKEL ANTZA TOGETHER WITH BELEN GONZALEZ PENALVA,
ALIAS "CARMEN", AS THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION'S
POLITICAL LEADERS, CONDUCTED CONVERSATIONS, THAT ENDED
IN A FIASCO, WITH SPANISH GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES IN
SWITZERLAND. IN SPAIN, MIKEL ANTZA IS NOT INCLUDED IN
ANY PENDING INDICTMENT FOR HIS DIRECT PARTICIPATION IN
TERRORIST CRIMES. HE IS WANTED FOR TERRORIST
ASSOCIATION, CHARGE FOR WHICH HE WILL BE TRIED IN
FRANCE. SPANISH AUTHORITIES ARE STUDYING THE
POSSIBILITIES OF REQUESTING HIS EXTRADITION TO SPAIN
BASED ON ALLEGED MULTIPLE INDUCEMENTS TO TERRORISM. IN
FRANCE HE IS ACCUSED OF "LEADERSHIP OF A CONVICTED
FELONS ASSOCIATION FOR TERRORIST PURPOSES", EQUAL TO
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION LEADERSHIP FOR WHICH HE COULD
RECEIVE A 20-YEAR SENTENCE.
6. NAME: IPARRAGUIRRE GUENECHEA, MARIA SOLEDAD
- ALIAS: "ANBOTO" AND "ELISABETH"
- GENDER: FEMALE
- DPOB: APR. 25, 1961, ESCORIAZA, SPAIN
- CLASS: POSITIVE
- IPARRGUIRRE IS INCLUDED IN MORE THAN 20 PENDING
INDICTMENTS. THE SPANISH NATIONAL COURT HAD ISSUED 16
INTERNATIONAL WARRANTS OF ARREST FOR DIFFERENT
TERRORIST RELATED CRIMES INCLUDING MURDER. IPARRAGUIRRE
WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF ETA'S TERRORIST OPERATIVE
COMMANDOS "ARABA" AND "MADRID" AND HAS PARTICIPATED IN
NUMEROUS TERRORIST ATTACKS. IN 1992 SHE FLED TO
FRANCE. IN 1994 SHE BECAME RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NAMED
"LEGAL COMMANDOS" (WHOSE MEMBERS WERE NOT PREVIOUSLY
IDENTIFIED BY THE POLICE).
7. NAME: ARANO URBIOLA, JOSE RAMON
- GENDER: MALE
- MAY 10, 1959, VILLABA, GUIPUZCOA, SPAIN
- ALSO HAS FRENCH NATIONALITY
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
8. NAME: INCABY, MIRIAM
- GENDER: FEMALE
- DPOB: APR. 23, 1960, BAYONNE, FRANCE
- NATIONALITY: FRENCH
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
9. NAME: NEGRETE ORTEGA, MICHEL
- GENDER: MALE
- DPOB: DEC. 24, 1953, BARACALDO, VIZCAYA, SPAIN
- NATIONALITY: FRENCH
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
10. NAME: OXARANGO, XAVIER
- GENDER: MALE
- DPOB: JUL 28, 1970, BAYONNE, FRANCE
- NATIONALITY: FRENCH
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
11. NAME: URDAMPILLETA ITUBUR, MARIA LOURDES
- GENDER; FEMALE
- DPOB: FEB. 25, 1962, SAN SEBASTIAN, GUIPUZCOA,
SPAIN
- NATIONALITY: SPANISH
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
12. NAME: SERBIELLE, PIERRE
- GENDER: MALE
- DPOB: OCT. 30, 1965, MAULEON, FRANCE
- NATIONALITY: FRENCH
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
13. NAME: ARRAMBIDE, ROBERT
- GENDER: MALE
- DPOB: JUNE 27, 1942, HENDAYA, FRANCE
- NATIONALITY: FRENCH
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
14. NAME: ARRICAU CASSIAU, DIDIER
- GENDER; MALE
- DPOB: MAR. 31, 1965, SALIES DE BEARN, FRANCE
- NATIONALITY: FRENCH
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
15. NAME: LAVIE, MARYSA
- GENDER: FEMALE
- DPOB: AUG. 17, 1961, SALIES DE BEARN, FRANCE
- NATIONALITY: FRENCH
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
16. NAME: ALCANTARILLA MOZOTA, PEDRO MARIA
- GENDER; MALE
- DPOB: JUNE 28, 1960, SAN SEBASTIAN, GUIPUZCOA,
SPAIN
- NATIONALITY: SPANISH
- CLASS: NEGATIVE
- ARRESTED IN BURGOS, SPAIN
- MARRIED TO MARIA LOURDES URDAMPILLETA ITUBUR, IN
PARAGRAPH 11. BOTH RESIDENT OF FRANCE.
- TRUCK DRIVER
- ALCANTARILLA JOINED THE ORGANIZATION'S LOGISTICS
NETWORK IN 1998. POLICE BELIEVE HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE
STORE TRANSPORTATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ARMS AND
EXPLOSIVES. ONE OF THE ARSENALS WAS FOUND IN HIS HOUSE
OF URRUGNE, FRANCE. HE IS ACCUSED OF MEMBERSHIP IN A
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION AND POSSESSION AND STORE OF
EXPLOSIVES. HE WAS IMPRISONED BY EXAMINING JUDGE
ORDER.
ARGYROS