Separatists Bomb 7 Spanish Banks
A separatist group seeking independence for Spain’s northern Galicia region detonated bombs at banks in seven towns Thursday, causing damage but no casualties, police said.
The bombs, triggered by timing devices, shattered windows and damaged the doorways of banks in Santiago de Compostela, La Coruna, Pontevedra, Vigo, Orense, Lugo and El Ferrol.
A man claiming to represent the Free Galicia separatist group claimed responsibility for the blasts in a telephone call to a radio station in the regional capital, Santiago de Compostela.
The bombs exploded hours before three members of the group were to go on trial in La Coruna on charges of bank robbery.
Galacia is an isolated region in northwestern Spain. Nearly all its 2.9 million population speaks Galician, one of Spain’s four official languages.
The extreme left separatist Free Galicia group surfaced in 1976 and has staged sporadic attacks since then.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
