Alleged Basque terrorist to be extradited

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LONDON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- A man accused of aiding the Spanish Basque separatist group ETA will be extradited from Britain to Spain, a London court said.

Kemen Uranga Artola, 43, who was alleged to have allowed the terrorist group Commando Vizcaya to use his Bilbao, Spain, apartment to store weapons and bomb-making documents, has been the subject of a European arrest warrant for aiding and abetting the Basque terrorist cell. He fled to England in 2000 to avoid arrest and was taken into custody in London in August, the Spanish news agency ThinkSpain reported Friday.

At Uranga's London hearing, his lawyer argued "collaborating with terrorism" was not formally recognized as an offense in Britain until 2001, but prosecutors called for the alleged crime to be considered on its own merit without the time constriction.

Judge John Zani also rejected the defense's bail request, meaning Uranga will be held in jail in Britain until his extradition, the news agency said.