A secluded hut in the French Alps, last refuge of Etarra Josu Ternera

A small hut, located almost 1500 meters high in the French Alps, was the last refuge of one of the most wanted men in Spain, Josu Ternera, who chose this remote place to go as unnoticed as possible.

On the Croix plateau, more than a kilometer from the ski lift which attracts skiers and mountaineers in winter, lies the old hut in which hid the historic head of ETA , rarely exposing the rare inhabitants of this station.

The public comes mainly in winter to ski and to a lesser extent in summer to enjoy its freshness and clean air, commented EFE lift workers.

"In the low season, there is no one here," says one of the employees at the Saint Gervais les Bains ski lift, pointing to some of the chalets located nearby.

The nearest city center, with about 250 permanent residents, is Saint Nicolas de Veroce. where several neighbors badure repeatedly that they did not know the character whose photo circulated and which corresponds to the moments before his arrest.

A neighbor who prefers not to give his name and who claims to live recently in this city, as well as his oldest partner, maintain that they had never seen the person responsible for the selective attacks and murders, although they admit that "in small towns sometimes strange things happen on the mountain".

"I was dismayed to learn that a man like this, a criminal, was living illegally in our city," says an elderly lady who returns to her villa with the newspaper. The Liberated Dauphine Under his arm, he bought in the center of Saint Nicolas de Veroce and shows on his cover a picture of the day before with Veal who was riding in the car that would take him to prison.

In the center of Saint-Nicolas-de-Veroce, an alpine-style 5-star hotel is built and its workers, like all the inhabitants consulted, ensure EFE never have crossed the Veal Road and least known it.

Neighbors in general are shocked by the choice of their location as a hiding place for the historic leader ETA and they repeat again and again that they're all good people and that It annoys them that someone involved in an attack that cost the lives of several children lived close to them.

The location of the refuge used by the Radical Basque separatist leader, in a place accessible only by foot through a steep mountain road and whose access must be particularly difficult because of the snow, shows the l & # 39; isolation sought by Ternera.

From the gate of the hut where lived Ternera, you have a breathtaking view of the city of Saint Gervais les Bains and the Alps, you breathe the tranquility and the only thing heard this spring is the song of birds.

At the entrance to the shelter, built of dark, sturdy wood and glued to the wall, there is virtually no sign showing that anyone has lived there: there is no one. There is only a wooden stick next to a bench in which maybe the former leader ETA He sat on the occasion to admire the beautiful landscape of the isolated place.

The mayor of Saint Gervais les Bains, which includes in his jurisdiction Saint-Nicolas de Veroce, Jean-Marc Peillex, regrets that his city "world-famous for skiing and mountain tourism" is the center of a cause character who used weapons to kill. "

"It's the end of a story and now you can pay for your shares," he continues.

Peillex confirms that it is unclear how long Ternera has lived in his jurisdiction and that he was able to do so, it is largely "because the people who live here are welcoming and do not ask the origin of those who arrive. "

For the mayor, this case has become "a lesson, because if a terrorist past can hide in this way in France, it means that modern terrorists can also be hidden and we must ask how our territory can become a hiding place" . dangerous people. "

Employees of the bakery Aux Petits Gourmands, nearby, confirm that in this city many people spend there, including Spaniards who arrive to ski in winter or to take advantage of hot springs in summer, which avoids the presence of a stranger. attract attention.

By Isabel Saco and Antonio Broto (EFE)