FOUR Guardia Civil officers have been accused of torturing the ETA members believed to be responsible for bombing Terminal 4 at Madrid's Barajas airport in December 2006.

Igor Portu and Martín Sarasola (pictured) are thought to have been behind the blast, which left two Ecuadorians dead and caused millions of euros' worth of damage to the car park and the vehicles therein.

The Public Ministry claims the officers acted 'with emotion', given the assassination of two policemen at the hands of the Basque separatists just weeks before the airport bombing.

As a result, the prosecution service is calling for three-year prison sentences for a sergeant and a chief, and two for another police chief and an officer.

A further six members of the Guardia Civil are suspected of having 'caused injuries' to the bombing suspects.

In addition to the criminal case against the crown, the two ETA suspects have launched a private civil case against 15 officers, claiming they were beaten and tortured following their arrest.

They call for jail terms of between six and 17 years for each of the accused parties.

According to the prosecution service's report, the arrest took place on January 6, 2008, just a year and a week after the bomb went off in T-4.

The suspects were caught in Arrasate (Guipúzcoa) in possession of two revolvers and 50 bullets, and were handcuffed and taken into custody.

Igor Portu claims he was punched repeatedly when he was put into a patrol car, and that he received death-threats from the officers.

He then alleges he was forced out of the car 'in an undetermined place' and 'kicked and thumped', before being yanked by the hair and forced to get down on his knees.

Next, says Portu, he was made to wear a balaclava and keep his head between his knees on the journey to the police station, being hit and kicked all the way.

Portu spent three days in intensive care at Donostia hospital, due to the severity of his injuries which included chest-wounds, bruising to the lungs and two broken ribs.

The report also claims the officers threatened Sarasola with throwing him in the river, and was kicked and punched along the journey to the police station.