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There are almost certainly other Portuguese members of the group, and Portuguese authorities will continue trying to identify them. Portugese involvement is more likely to be financially, rather than politically, motivated: we believe GAL members are sometimes paid for their attacks on ETA. According to rumors widely circulated in the Spanish press, GAL members may be paid indirectly by the Spanish Government.

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Spain

Nine Members of ETA Unit Arrested The violent “Madrid Commando" unit of the Basque Fatherland and Liberty separatist group (ETA) suffered a major setback when Spanish police, acting in cooperation with French security services, arrested nine members on 16 and 17 January. According to the press, those arrested are linked to nine major attacks in the past 18 months that resulted in 26 deaths, including those of 17 civil guards and two military officials. At the time of arrest, the group reportedly was planning a major attack on a French-built shopping center. The arrests led to the discovery

in El Escorial, north of Madrid, of (b)(3)afehouses containing weapons and plans for future operations.

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the commando unit is divided into three groups: gunmen residing in southern France who cross the border to stage attacks; information units that select and plan attacks and escapes; and infrastructure units permanently located in Madrid that set up the resources needed.

the damage to the infrastructure and manpower of the group will impair its operational capabilities for at least the near future, but that the group could be candy to resume activities within several weeks of the arrests.

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Although the roundup is hailed by Spanish police and the press as a major counterterrorist success, we believe that those captured are rank-and-file members, not leaders. The group has long been known to rebound from setbacks, and five members were able to escape arrest. Retaliatory attacks are likely to be made after the unit regroups. A major car bomb attack on 30 January-killing two persons and injuring 37 others, including 22 Army officers-probably was an attempt to show strength in another region.

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Middle East

Israel

Tourism and Terrorism Major terrorist attacks in Europe and the Middle East in the last year and a half have left searing marks on Israel's tourism industry. The hijacking of a TWA airliner in June 1985, the seizing of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in October 1985, the attacks on airports in Rome and Vienna in December 1985, the attack on an IstanbUL synagogue in September 1986, and the grenade attack in mid-October 1986 near the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem-an especially popular area for tourists-each generated a flurry of telexes from US travel agencies to Israeli hotels and tour offices canceling scheduled visits (b)(3)

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