Former ETA member Xabier Arruti dies in Venezuela

Xabier Arruti Imaz, identified as one of ETA's most visible former members residing in Venezuela, has died in Chichiriviche, Falcón state. Arruti had lived in the Venezuelan town for decades, drawing renewed attention to the presence of former members of the armed Basque organization in the country.

Born in Lazcano in 1954, Arruti left the Basque Country in the early 1980s. After a brief stay in France, he arrived in Venezuela in April 1981. In Chichiriviche, he became involved in commercial and political activities, with some publications linking him to the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and positions in public entities like Gas Comunal.

Arruti's name was also associated with José Ignacio de Juana Chaos, another former ETA member who settled in the same town in 2010 after fleeing Spanish justice. The case of Xabier Arruti has been cited in reports concerning the continued presence of former ETA members in Venezuela. He gained notoriety again in 2010 following a Venezuelan state television interview, amid reports suggesting alleged links between ETA members and support for the FARC.