ETA member arrested in Venezuela is released: report

Authorities in Venezuela have released an ETA member who was arrested last September after Spain requested his extradition, a Basque newspaper reported on Friday.

Asier Guridi Zaloña, alias “Gari,” had been on the run since 2001 and apparently entered Venezuela with false papers. He was also married to a Venezuelan.

There was no immediate reason given for his release, Bilbao’s El Correo reported.

Guridi, 44, was first arrested by the Basque police in 1992 at his home in Oñate during a raid. He was later re-arrested by the Civil Guard that year after he was accused of being part of a support group for the Basque terrorist organization.

In 1996, the High Court sentenced him to 10 years for arson-related charges, but he was freed after serving half his term. Violating his parole conditions, Guridi disappeared and the High Court issued an arrest warrant.

In 2003, French police found his photograph in an ETA safe house that was used to provide its members with false documentation. In 2007, a French court sentenced him to two years in absentia.

Following an investigation by Venezuelan police and Spanish and French authorities, Guridi was arrested in September.

In a related matter, evidence was presented in a French court on Friday by prosecutors showing that ETA imposed a five-percent interest fee on businessmen in the Basque country who were late in paying the terrorist organization's extortion demands.