Spain: A Day of Blood and Mourning

It was planned as a day of celebration, with West European dignitaries, including seven Prime Ministers, present to witness the signing ceremonies for Spain's entry into the European Community. But before the festivities began, the day was marred by Basque terrorist attacks that left four dead and eight injured. The violence was believed to be an attempt by the terrorist group ETA to publicize its goal of independence for the semiautonomous Basque region. In a wave of assaults over the past six weeks, ETA has murdered 14 people and wounded 24.

On the day of the signing, terrorists struck first in Madrid, killing an army colonel and his driver. Less than two hours later, an attendant in a garage below a Madrid department store spotted the terrorists' white Renault with a suspicious package inside. Police evacuated 8,000 people, but before the bomb could be defused, it exploded, killing a policeman. Later in the day, an ETA gunman fatally shot a naval petty officer in the Basque city of Bilbao. Declared Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez: "Some people are determined to stain a day of festivities with blood and mourning."