MADRID, April 1, 2008 (AFP) - The armed Basque separatist group ETA claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the assassination of a former town councilman two days before a March 9 general election, in a statement sent to the Basque newspaper Gara.

The online edition of the newspaper, which is often used by the group to claim responsibility for its attacks, said it would publish the full ETA statement in its print edition on Wednesday.