Spanish national holiday marred by bomb scare

Zaragoza airport in northern Spain was evacuated this morning following a bomb alert which coincided with national holiday celebrations.

Authorities received a call in the name of the Basque terrorist group ETAwarning of an imminent explosion, but the deadline passed and nothing happened. Activity at the airport has returned to normal. ETA has killed more than 800 people in its fight for an independent Basque country since 1968, but there have been no victims in more than two years. The alert came as the royal family, foreign dignitaries and government leaders took part in a parade in the capital Madrid marking Spain’s national holiday. They also attended a commemoration ceremony in memory of 17 Spanish soldiers who died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan last year.

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