Spain Opposition Leader Survives Assassination Bid

MADRID — The conservative opposition leader widely expected to be Spain’s next prime minister survived a car bombing Wednesday that injured him and 16 others.

Jose Maria Aznar was en route to work when the parked car packed with 45 pounds of explosives was detonated by remote control. Aznar’s car was heavily armored, so he suffered only minor injuries.

“I’m OK,” said Aznar, appearing with a small scratch on his face at the entrance to a Madrid hospital, where he was to remain overnight. “Let everyone stay calm like I am.”

Wednesday’s explosion occurred in a residential neighborhood of northern Madrid. A 75-year-old woman who lives nearby was critically injured, but none of the other injuries were life-threatening. Several buildings and cars were badly damaged.

Aznar’s Popular Party, Spain’s second largest, has a strong chance of dislodging the ruling Socialists in general elections set for 1996 or 1997. It supports a strong centralized state and rejects Basque demands for greater self-rule.

Justice Minister Juan Alberto Belloch blamed the attack on the Basque separatist organization ETA and said it was an assassination attempt directed at Aznar.

ETA did not claim responsibility for the attack, but it often waits a week or more before making such claims.