At the time of her arrest, she was in the company of another member of ETA, Joseba Iturbide Ochoteco. He was also arrested during the operation, which remains active for the time being.
The operation carried out by the RAID (an elite unit of French police officers brought in especially from Paris) took place at a hotel residence in Macon, a French town located 70 kilometres to the north of Lyon. The two alleged terrorists were armed at the time of their arrest, which forms part of an operation stemming from investigations being carried out by the Spanish Guardia Civil in conjunction with the French Central Directorate of Interior Intelligence (DCRI). A significant quantity of computer equipment and a stolen vehicle carrying false plates were also found near the hotel establishment.
Including these two arrests, the total number of alleged members of ETA arrested since January has increased to 24. Of those arrests, 16 took place in France, 3 in Spain and 5 in other countries. Furthermore, State law enforcement agencies have also arrested 7 people so far this year for offences related to street violence. In total, 31 people with links to ETA have been arrested this year.
The arrest of these two individuals comes one week after Saúl Curto López was arrested in France, who was involved in the logistics arm of the terrorist group. He was found with false vehicle licence plates at the time of his arrest.
Izaskun Lesaka Argüelles, born in Pamplona in January 1975, fled to France in 2003 because of her links to the recruitment arm of ETA. For two years, Izaskun Lesaka Argüelles has been one of three terrorists who comprise the Executive Committee of ETA (together with David Pla and Iratxe Sorzábal), she being the most experienced of the three and the least "political". On the Committee, she is considered to be responsible for maintaining the decimated operational structure on which the continued existence of the group depends.
She was also one of the three hooded individuals who read the statement on the final definitive end of armed activity in October 2011
She was a highly active member of Jarrai in Navarre. After fleeing to France in 2003, she became part of the logistics arm of ETA and eventually became lieutenant to the then leader of this arm of the group, Mikel Carrera Sarobe "Ata". After Miguel de Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina, alias "Txeroki", was arrested in November 2008, "Ata" took over command of the military arm and Izaskun Lesaka Argüelles was left in charge of logistics, a position she had remained in until now.
Since the declaration of an end to terrorist activity and given the extreme operational weakness of the terrorist group, the main focus of its clandestine activity has fallen on its logistics operations. Therefore, the arrest of Izaskun Lesaka Argüelles is a key development because the leader of the most dangerous part of ETA has been removed. All reserves of weapons and explosives still kept by the terrorist group are currently under her control. None of her possible replacements have either her experience or violent personality.
Meanwhile, Joseba Iturbide, born in Navarre in May 1977, fled to France in January 2008 after the Spanish Guardia Civil dismantled the ELURRA unit, responsible for the attack on Terminal 4 at Barajas Madrid Airport in late 2006. After being acquitted by the Spanish National High Court and released in June 2010, he once again fled to France and rejoined ETA. He was currently acting as lieutenant to Izaskun Lesaka Argüelles.
Given the huge significance of the operation, the Minister for Home Affairs spoke in person with his French counterpart, Manuel Valls, and thanked him for his decisive collaboration. The two men agreed to positively assess this latest result stemming from the magnificent collaboration between Spain and France and confirmed the need for their efforts to continue.