Eta: a short history – timeline

1959: Eta is formed during dictatorship of General Francisco Franco to fight for Basque self-determination. 1968: It carries out its first killing in San Sebastián. 1980: In its bloodiest year, Eta kills nearly 100 people. September 1998: Eta calls a truce, which ends in December 1999. 22 March 2006: Eta declares a permanent ceasefire, which comes into force two days later. 5 November 2008: Eta claims responsibility for 10 bombings and says it will press on with its campaign for Basque rights. 9 August 2009: Eta claims responsibility for bombs in the previous two months which killed three policemen and injured 46. 28 February 2010: Eta leader Ibon Gogeascoechea, on the run since 1997, is arrested in Normandy. 10 January 2011: Eta offers a permanent and general ceasefire. Spain rejects it. 20 Oct 2011: Eta declares a "definitive cessation of its armed activity".