By DPA
Bilbao (Spain) : A bomb damaged an office of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s Socialist Party in the Basque town of Derio, ten days before the country’s parliamentary elections, the police said Friday.
The overnight attack, which caused no injuries, was attributed to the militant Basque separatist group ETA.
An anonymous caller warned an emergency service that the bomb would explode, giving police time to evacuate the area. The caller spoke in the name of ETA.
The bomb, which weighed up to three kilogrammes, caused considerable damage to the party building, destroying the door and windows. It also damaged nearby buildings.
Police were searching for two masked ETA members who were believed to have planted the bomb. The government had raised the level of terrorism alert ahead of the March 9 elections.
It is not unusual for ETA to target Spanish parties opposing Basque independence.
The attack was the second by ETA since the electoral campaign began Feb 22. On Feb 23, a bomb damaged a television mast near Bilbao, causing no injuries.
ETA has killed more than 820 people in its armed campaign for a sovereign Basque state over four decades. Its attacks have claimed four lives during the current legislature.