In 1980 Sarrionandia was arrested by Spanish police for being a member of ETA. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. In 1985 he escaped from prison with Iñaki Pikaea during a concert in the jail with Basque singer Imanol Larzabal. They hid themselves inside a loudspeaker. The Basque rock group Kortatu wrote the song "Sarri, Sarri" in honor of this. He has lived in secret since his escape and writes a lot about exile. 