Madrid - French police Wednesday detained at least four members of Batasuna, regarded as the political wing of the militant Basque separatist group ETA, Spanish media reported.

The arrests were made in several locations in southern France. The detainees included Batasuna spokesman Xabi Larralde. Police were searching the Batasuna headquarters in Bayonne.

Batasuna was outlawed in Spain in 2003. It is, however, legal in France, where it is registered as an association, according to Spanish media.

The detentions followed those of two suspected ETA members in central France on Tuesday.

The two were not believed to have links with three recent car bombings in northern Spain, the latest of which killed a soldier in Santona in the Cantabria region early Monday. (dpa)