Authorities hunt for body of Basque militant killed in 1980

French authorities are searching for the remains of a Basque militant who disappeared in 1980 after new information emerged on his possible whereabouts.

A French judge, a forensic expert, and Jose Miguel Etxeberria's relatives were among those present for the search today near the village of Labrit in southwest France.

A recent anonymous witness account to a journalist reportedly prompted the search.

Spain's National Court reopened the case of Etxeberria's disappearance last year at his family's request, according to Spanish media reports.

Etxeberria, who went by the alias "Naparra," was a member of Comandos Autonomos Anticapitalistas, a spinoff of Basque separatist group ETA. He is thought to have been killed by a Spanish anti-terror group.

The search comes days before an effort to disarm ETA separatists in France.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)