ETA bomb explodes in Basque town

A small bomb believed to have been planted by the Basque separatist group ETA exploded next to the home of a Basque businessman yesterday, causing no injuries, police said.

A second bomb was defused in a park, also in the town of Zarautz, near San Sebastian, Basque regional police said in a statement.

The bomb that exploded damaged a wall separating the home from the railroad tracks but the man's family escaped unhurt, police said.

It was the second time in eight days ETA had planted bombs with both incidents linked to its charging of a "revolutionary tax", a form of extortion against businesses in the Basque region of northern Spain, state radio said.

Yesterday's blast was similar to the last attack blamed on ETA on May 15 when four bombs exploded at businesses in the Basque region.