Dutch police arrest ETA suspect

Spanish authorities believe the suspect was ETA informant

A Spanish man suspected of belonging to the Basque separatist group ETA has been arrested in the Netherlands, in what is thought to be the first operation of its kind.

Juan Ramon Rodriguez Fernandez, 26, was arrested in Amsterdam at the request of the Spanish authorities five months after he fled from Barcelona.

He was arrested on a street in Amsterdam by members of a Dutch special police team, officials said.

"He went rather quietly," said Dutch prosecution spokesman Robert Muelenbroek.

European co-operation

The Spanish news agency Efe said Mr Ramon Rodriguez was accused of assessing potential targets for ETA, and passing on other useful information to them.

It is believed to be the first time the two countries have worked together to make a terrorist-related arrest.

Officials said they shared information under a new European Union programme, Eurojust, which is aimed at improving co-operation between different member countries.

Rock singer

Mr Ramon Rodriguez, who sings in a rock band, is thought to have been living in a squat in Barcelona before fleeing the country when a local ETA cell was broken up by police.

Reports said he had been living in a squat in Amsterdam until his arrest on Wednesday.

He will appear before a district judge in the Netherlands, but is expected to be handed over to Spain for trial.

In a separate operation in Spain on Thursday, Spanish radio reported that at least seven people had been arrested in an operation in Vitoria, the capital of the Basque region.