Spanish Admiral Shot to Death in Madrid; Basques Suspected

MADRID â€”  Suspected Basque guerrillas assassinated a Defense Ministry admiral on Monday as he rode to work and seriously wounded his driver in the second fatal terrorist attack on a senior military official in six weeks.

Two or three gunmen in a stolen car intercepted the auto carrying Rear Adm. Fausto Escrigas and his driver as they headed downtown to the Defense Ministry. The gunmen opened fire through a car window, authorities said.

Doctors said that Escrigas, 59, was hit by 12 bullets that riddled his heart, lungs, head and liver.

His civilian driver, Francisco Maranon, 57, was taken to a La Paz Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to remove a bullet lodged in his head. His condition was listed as “very serious.�

Defense Minister Narcis Serra said the shooting appeared to be “a classic attack by ETA�--the Spanish initials for Basque Homeland and Freedom--but no group immediately claimed responsibility.

50 Officers Slain Since 1969

ETA has killed 50 military officers since taking up arms in 1969 to fight for independence of the three northern Basque provinces.

It was the second terrorist attack on a high-ranking officer in Madrid since June 12. ETA killed an army colonel, his driver and a policeman in last month’s attack, which coincided with the signing of a treaty paving the way for Spain’s entry into the European Community.

Escrigas, as general director for defense policy, was a key adviser to the Spanish Joint Chiefs of Staff on national and international defense policy.

Shortly after the attack at 8:40 a.m., police found the escape car--containing 6.6 pounds of explosives--in a narrow street several blocks from the attack site. A bomb squad detonated the explosives, which were attached to a timing device, after evacuating nearby buildings.

ETA also left behind a booby-trapped car after gunning down Col. Vicente Romero and his driver June 12. A policeman was killed while trying to defuse one of the bombs planted inside.

Authorities said that Escrigas, married and the father of four, will be buried in his hometown of El Ferrol today.