8 bombers arrested - Ethiopia
2008-07-13 14:02
Addis Ababa - Ethiopia says it has
arrested eight "Eritrean-trained" rebels suspected of carrying
out bombings that rocked the capital Addis Ababa and killed
eight people earlier this year.
A statement by security chiefs late on Saturday said the
attacks were sponsored by arch-foe Asmara "and implemented by
its stooges in Ethiopia, the self-proclaimed Oromo Liberation
Front (OLF) and Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)".
Simultaneous blasts at two petrol stations killed two people
a day after local, regional and federal elections in April, then
a bomb tore through a minibus taxi a month later, killing six.
The statement by the National Intelligence and Security
Service did not say when or where the detainees were arrested,
but said three "most wanted" suspects remained at large and
urged the public could come forward with information.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a 1998-2000 border war that
killed 70 000 people, and tensions remain high. Officials in
Addis Ababa often refer to their counterparts in Amara as
terrorists.
Eritrean officials routinely reject Ethiopia's allegations,
including that it backs the separatist OLF and ONLF rebels.