Paralympic Star is a Former Terrorist

Spaniards were yesterday trying to decide whether their latest sports champion, a former leftwing terrorist who is now a paraplegic swimmer and has already won a gold medal in the Athens Paralympics, should be treated as a hero or a villain.

Sebástian Rodríguez lost the use of his legs after going on a 432-day hunger strike in 1990 in an attempt to persuade Spanish prison authorities to group members of his violent First of October Revolutionary Group (Grapo) in the same jail.

He took part in the 1983 killing of Rafael Padura, a business leader, and in other Grapo terrorist attacks. He was captured in 1985 and sentenced to 84 years for his part in the murder of Padura, one of 75 people killed by the group since 1975.

When Rodríguez went on hunger strike, he ordered his lawyers to fight any attempt to forcefeed him, but they failed, in court, to prevent prison authorities keeping him alive.

He was released from jail in the mid-90s and sold tickets for a lottery for blind and disabled people.

Grapo, which has been relatively quiet in recent years, last killed four years ago, and most of its leadership was captured in Paris in 2002. More members were captured late last year, including three who had allegedly carried out armed robberies in banks.

This year terrorism charges were brought against 24 people accused of belonging to the group, including some who had served long prison sentences.

Rodríguez first took part in the Paralympic Games in Sydney four years ago, where he reportedly claimed that he lost the use of his legs in a car accident. On that occasion he won five gold medals.

"Everybody can judge me as they like," he said this week in Athens. "Beating my chest or saying that I will commit suicide is no good - the past is there, and it cannot be wiped out."