Spanish police said yesterday they had foiled a plan by the armed Basque separatist group ETA to sink a ferry bound for Plymouth from the northern port of Santander by driving a car bomb on to one of its decks.
The ferry, Val de Loire, which can carry 2,140 passengers, was among the potential targets lined up by a two-man ETA bombing team captured by anti-terrorist police last week. Mr Jesus Maria Goikoetxea and Mr Premin Sampedro, were arrested in the northern Spanish town of Mondragon. A search of their homes uncovered 35kg of dynamite, maps of Santander and details of the 32,000-tonne Val de Loire's sailing times.
