Bomb kills policeman in Spain, ETA blamed

BILBAO, Spain (Reuters) - A bomb killed a police officer when it exploded under his car in Spain's Basque Country Friday, in what authorities said was the first fatal attack by ETA rebels since December.

The booby-trap attack in the northern city of Bilbao ended a long gap without victims for a group hard hit by arrests of its leaders, and which had not killed since gunning down a Basque businessman last year, authorities said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

"We knew that this could happen again, although the terrorists are weaker than ever," said Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero from Brussels, where he was attending a summit of European leaders.

"The full force of the law will fall on them to make sure they get the longest and toughest prison sentences possible," Zapatero said.

Ares identified the victim as police officer Eduardo Puelles, a 49-year-old father of two, who got into his car at about 9:05 a.m. (0705 GMT) in a car park in Bilbao's Santa Isabel neighborhood, Basque Country police said.

A witness told Spanish media he heard Puelles screaming for help after the bomb went off but that he could do nothing due to the flames, which television images showed pouring from the car together with clouds of black smoke shortly afterwards.

The vehicle was left a twisted heap of metal.

The man's widow, who was not hurt, was attended to by emergency services after being overcome by emotion, media reported.

The leader of the Basque Country regional government, Patxi Lopez, called a protest in Bilbao for Saturday afternoon against ETA, which has killed more than 800 people in decades of struggle for independence of the Basque Country.

Analysts say that ETA is losing support for its violent methods, although polls indicate a majority of Basques may still want independence from Spain.

In April, police arrested its suspected top commander Jurdan Martitegi, bringing to four the number of commanders caught in less than a year.

Zapatero's Socialist government broke off peace talks with ETA after the rebels killed two people with a car bomb at Madrid airport.

(Additional reporting by Vincent West, Blanca Rodriguez, Raquel Castillo and Emma Pinedo; Writing by Jason Webb; Editing by Charles Dick)