Madrid- The dismantling of the most dangerous cell of the militant Basque separatist group ETA may have foiled a string of bombings in tourist resorts during the holiday season, press reports said Wednesday.

Nine suspected members of ETA's Vizcaya cell, including its leader Arkaitz Goikoetxea, were arrested on Tuesday.

Police seized maps of touristic southern Spanish cities such as Cadiz, Seville, Granada and Huelva, a general one of the Costa del Sol region, and a map of the Portuguese capital Lisbon.

One of the suspects was detained in the tourist resort of Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. The previous weekend, ETA had planted four bombs in two northern holiday resorts, causing slight injuries to one person.

The government described the Vizcaya cell as ETA's most active unit that was responsible for most of its attacks, including the killing of a police officer, since the group ended its 14-month ceasefire in June 2007. (dpa)