Power company bows to terrorist demand

Press, 11 February 1981, Page 9

Power company bows to terrorist demand

NZPA-Reuter Bilbao, Spain The Spanish power company Iberduero said yesterday it was temporarily suspending work at a nuclear plant because a kidnapped engineer had been murdered! by Basque separatists. The chief construction engineer. Jose Maria Ryan, was shot dead by guerrillas from the military wing of E.T.A. (Basque Homeland and Freedom) on Friday night after authorities ignored an E.T.A. deadline to begin demoliton of a 980mW

nuclear reactor at Lemoniz, near Bilbao. The separatists had said in a communique that the killing of Mr Ryan was rhe start of a nc ’ campaign against senior staff at the Iberduero company, which is building the plant. Iberduero, which has been the target for numerous bomb attacks by E.T.A. guerrilles, said it had taken its decision because of concern for the situation of workers at Lemoniz and their families. The company, which has invested more than SIOOOj million at the two-thirds)

completed plant said it would shortly release a more detailed statement explaining its position. The moderate Basque Nationalist Party, which has a majority in the regional Parliament. has said nuclear energy was necessary for the Basque country and the reactor met safety standards. The apparent step-down by the power company came despite demonstrations by thousands of people who istopped work in the troubled northern region to protest jagainst the killing of Mr Ryan, a 39-year-old father of five.