The World - News from June 19, 1988

Spanish authorities searched for three suspected terrorists who opened fire on police after a motorcycle bomb they apparently were rigging exploded prematurely on the beach three miles from in the U.S. Navy base in the Atlantic coastal town of Rota, officials said. Authorities were alerted to the trio when a caller reported an explosion near off-base housing for U.S. military personnel near the beach. Also nearby is a battery of Spanish navy coastal artillery set up to defend the base. In the sweep, police spotted two men and a woman. When challenged, one of the three pulled out a gun and opened fire. The trio then fled. No one was injured in the shooting.