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